Volleyball

Recap of 2023 New York, Virginia and Wisconsin boys HS volleyball seasons

December 31, 2023

**Middleton’s Brody Stuttgen, left, and Ambrose Engling celebrate during the Wisconsin state tournament**

Here are the champions and key players for the boys high school volleyball seasons in New York, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

If you are part of a program in these states (or involved in boys HS volleyball anywhere in the USA and would like to contribute information), please email [email protected]. We have much more boys HS coverage planned for 2024.

New York

In Division 1, Fairport defeated Shenedehowa 25-22, 25-14, 25-21.

In Division 2, Jamesville-Dewitt defeated Westhampton Beach 25-20, 25-19, 28-26

The top three teams in each division teams play in a three-team pool play tournament, with the top two advancing to the finals.

The Division 1 pool had Fairport, Shenendehowa and Ward Melville (which happens to be the alma mater of VolleyballMag.com editor Lee Feinswog). Fairport went 2-0, Shenendehowa 1-1 and Ward Melville 0-2.

Key Fairport players were outside hitters Jack Bones and Aidan White and libero Adam Cornman.

“It felt good to win MVP, but none of it would have been possible without the whole team coming through and pushing each other every day at practice,” White said.

The Division 2 pool had Spencerport, Westhampton, and Jamesville-Dewitt, which finished the season 21-0.

J-D Senior Luke McQuaid led with 15 kills in the final. Middle blocker Avery Kielbasinki was named MVP after getting 13 kills.

All-tournament teams

Division 1
Jack Bones (Fairport, Sr., OH)
Kyle Fagan (Ward Melville, Jr., OH)
Andrew Howes (Fairport, Sr., S)
Zane Ives (Shenendehowa, Sr., OH)
Noah Meabon (Fairport, Sr., RS)
Aidan White (Fairport, Jr., OH)
Bennett Wilson (Shenendehowa, Sr., OH)

Division 2
Collin Auburn (Spencerport, Sr., MB)
Tim Cooper (Jamesville-Dewitt, Sr., S)
Alec Kelly (Westhampton Beach, Sr., OH)
Avery Kielbasinski (Jamesville-Dewitt, Jr., MB)
Aaron Ko (Jamesville-Dewitt, Sr., OH)
Luke McQuaid (Jamesville-Dewitt, Sr., OH)
Seth Terry (Westhampton Beach, Sr., S)

Virginia

Midlothian beat Ocean Lakes 22-25, 29-27, 25-23, 16-25, 15-13 to win the Class 5/6 A state state title.

In the 4A division Patrick Henry finished 27-0 with a 25-16, 25-12, 25-19 sweep of Atlee for its eighth state title in a row.

Midlothian senior right side Max Law not only led his team in the win over Thomas Dale, he was named the state MVP.

“Achieving this title has been a goal of mine for a long time,” Law said. “I thought it would not be possible when my knee injury made me miss the start of the season, but I worked hard as soon as I recovered and continued to improve as the season progressed. This would not have been possible without my team.

Midlothan had four starters earn first- or second-team all-state honors and Ian Wajciechowski earned coach of the year honors.

“Coach Ian is deserving of this award because he was confident in our team despite all the injuries and other setbacks,” Law said. “From the start of the season, he told us that we were going to win and we believed him.”

Thomas Dale was led by right side Matthew McGovern, outside Wesley Graves and setter Landon Andrews.
Much of the Patrick Henry starting line-up has been on its varsity for three years. Patrick Hentry, 11-0 in the Capital Region Standings was led by outsides Stephen Matthews and Cooper Cobetto and libero Tyler Patton.

“Our team was successful this year because our practices were so competitive. We had a lot of depth and experience,” Cobetto said.

Class 5/6

Quarterfinals
Ocean Lakes defeated Freeman, scores not available
Midlothian defeated Kempsville 26-24, 22-25, 25-20, 25-19 Deep Run defeated Granby 30-28, 23-25, 21-25, 25-16, 15-8
Thomas Dale defeated King’s Fork 27-25, 25-18, 25-11
Semifinals
Midlothian defeated Ocean Lakes 25-14, 23-25, 25-21, 25-14
Thomas Dale defeated Deep Run 25-20, 25-10, 25-16
Championship  
Midlothian defeated Ocean Lakes 22-25, 29-27, 25-23, 16-25, 15-13

Class 4

Quarterfinals
Mechanicsville defeated Churchland, 3-0, scores not provided)
Atlee defeated Denbign, 25-10, 26-24, 25-11
Patrick Henry defeated Heritage 25-11, 25-22, 25-20
Hanover defeated Gloucester 25-14, 28-26,21-25, 25-17
Semifinals
Atlee defeated Mechanicsville 25-18, 21-25, 25-10, 25-22
Patrick Henry defeated Hanover (3-1, scores not provided)
Championship
Patrick Henry defeated Atlee 25-16, 25-12, 25-19

According to MaxPreps, here are some Virginia season stats leaders.

Kills — Ryan Pecora, Kempsville, 592; Matthew Mcgovern, Thomas Dale, 305; Tanner Schaedel, Cape Henry Collegiate, 299; Wesley Graves, Thomas Dale, 274; Joel Eanes, Kellam, 273.
Hitting percentage — Gavin Pham, Gloucester, .447; Matthew Mcgovern, Thomas Dale, .411; Wesley Graves, Thomas Dale, .398; Ryan Pecora, Kempsville, .379; Tyler Daniels, Teach, .359.

Assists — Landon Andrews, Thomas Dale, 921; Wyatt Strawbridge, Kempsville, 803; Bennett Pyka, Kellam, 733; Brady Crim, James River Midlothian, 710; Luke Replogle, Teach, 587.

Aces — Wyatt Strawbridge, Kempsville, 68; Carl Matteson, Glocester, 60; Kyle Duong, Kellam, 51; Greyson Shield, Gloucester, 47; Ryan Pecora, Kempsville, 45.

Blocks — Matthew McGovern, Thomas Dale, 116; Logan Frole, James River Midlothian, 80; Austin Makovec, Kellam, 74; Bennett Barco, Kellam, 64; Jake Ryan, Teach, 62.

Digs — Justin Madison, James River Midlothian, 467; Zachary Mendoza, Maury, 290; Deo Zapata, Kempsville, 256; Carl Matteson, Glocester, 253; Brady Crim, James River Midlothian, 240

Virginia All-State

First Team
AJ Angeles (Granby, Jr.)
Caleb Brown (Midlothian, Sr.)
Ben Frei (Deep Run, Sr.)
Josh Hinz (Midlothian, Sr.)
Max Law (Midlothian, Sr.)
Matthew Mcgovern (Thomas Dale, Sr.)
Ryan Pecora (Kempsville, Sr.)
John Russell (Deep Run, Sr.)
Vincent Yi (Ocean Lakes, Sr.)
Wesley Graves (Thomas Dale, Sr.)
Second Team
Landon Andrews (Thomas Dale, Sr.)
Will Cox (Douglas Feeman, Sr.)
Nate Duff (First Colonial, Jr.)
Joel Eanes (Kellam, Jr.)
Ben Mcvey (Cosby, Sr.)
Kaden Odberg (Midlothian, Jr.)
Ethan Snow (Tucker, Jr.)
Wyatt Strawbridge (Kempsville, Soph.)
David Thompson (Hickory, Sr.)
Elijah Woods (Hickory, Sr.)

Wisconsin

Top-seeded Middleton High School, which finished 33-3, won the state title by beating No. 2 Arrowhead (38-5) 25-18, 21-25, 25-22, 24-26, 15-6.

Middleton senior pin hitter Ambrose Engling was named the state player of the year. In the championship match, he had 16 kills, three aces and nine digs to cap the tournament in Green Bay.

“I am a firm believer that team success leads to individual success, so throughout the high school season I was not worried about accolades,” Englin said. “I knew the best feeling I could get was winning a state championship with my teammates and friends who I have spent most of my life growing up, learning, and playing with.

“When I heard that I was named player of the year, it was a special moment to see how proud my teammates were and to know I played a significant role in the program that shaped me as a person.

Matt Seidl of Kimberly won the Gary Sorensen Coach of the Year award.

In the quarterfinals, Middleton beat Union Grove in four and in the semifinals swept Kimberly.

“Volleyball in my county of Wisconsin has seldom been able to keep up with private powerhouse volleyball schools located in Milwaukee that get the opportunity to train on superior club teams,” Engling said. “It is a testament to the growth of the sport and mindset of my teammates that were able to shock the system and succeed at the state tournament.”

Quarterfinals
No. 2 Arrowhead (38-5) def. No. 7 Kettle Moraine (19-17) 25-19, 25-20, 25-20
No. 3 Marquette (29-6) def. No. 6 South Milwaukee Co-op (21-8) 25-13, 25-13, 25-20
No. 4 Kimberly (34-8) def. No. 5 Waukesha South/North (33-8) – 23-25, 29-27, 20-25, 29-27, 15-10
No. 1 Middleton (32-3) def. No. 8 Union Grove (19-15) 25-11, 25-17, 25-12
Semifinals
No. 2 Arrowhead (38-5) def. No. 3 Marquette (29-6) – 25-21, 25-15, 25-21
No. 1 Middleton (32-3) def. No. 4 Kimberly (34-8) – 25-23, 25-19, 25-18
Championship
No. 1 Middleton (33-3) def. No. 2 Arrowhead (38-5) – 25-18, 21-25, 25-22, 24-26, 15-6

“What a great season it was,” said Brian Sharkey, the Badger Region Volleyball Association program director. “Three of the top teams in the state — Middleton, Arrowhead and Sussex Hamilton — all were battling for their first-ever Gold Ball at the state tournament. It came down to Arrowhead vs. Middleton in the final and that was something special to crown a new state champion.

“Meanwhile perennial powerhouses like Marquette, Kimberly, Appleton North, Germantown, and Wauwatosa East were not too far beyond. It was one of the most competitive years we’ve had in a while, and it great to see new teams like Fusion and South Milwaukee make it to state.”

All-State

First Team
Charlie Andorfer (Arrowhead, Sr., OH)
Connor Cantrell (Appleton North, Sr., S)
Jack Fittere (Marquette, Sr., S)
Matteo Morgano (Sussex Hamilton, Sr., OH)
Miles Von Rueden (Marquette, Sr., OH)
Vinny Coello (Catholic Memorial, Sr., OH)

Second Team
Brady Koester (Kimberly, Sr., RS)
Brody Stuttgen (Middleton, Sr., S)
Ethan Dassow (Arrowhead, Sr., RS)
Ethan Jetzer (South Milwaukee Co-op, Sr., OH)
Nate Olson (Franklin, Sr., OH)
Rikhil Patidar (Waukesha Fusion, Sr., OH)

Third Team
Aleksey Mikhailenko (Homestead, Sophomore, OH)
Danny Torres (Nicolet, Jr., S)
Dawson Joe (Madison Memorial, Sr., Libero/OH)
Max Bayer (Sussex Hamilton, Sr., Libero/Setter)
Nikko Javier (Arrowhead, Sr., Libero)
Will Mathison (Kettle Moraine, Sr., MB)

Honorable Mention
Aaron Martin (South Milwaukee Co-op, Jr., S)
Andrew Laatsch (Wauwatosa East, Sr., OH)
Andrew MacCallum (Cedarburg, Sr., Libero)
Ben Brinkman (Appleton North, Sr., MB)
Braden Borchardt (New Berlin United, Sophomore, OH)
Brady Pichler (Sussex Hamilton, Sr., RS)
Brady Zell (Kettle Moraine, Sr., S)
Caden Eichner (Union Grove, Jr., S)
Carsyn Stringfellow (Waukesha West, Sr., RS)
Dane Turner (Wilmot, Sr., OH)
Daniel Kreklow (Wauwatosa East, Sr., S/RS)
David Warren (Brookfield East, Jr., S)
Evan Tavera (New Berlin, Sr., Libero)
Henry Possell (Madison West, Jr., OH)
Hudson Dresen (Union Grove, Sr., OH)
Hudson Sweitzer (Middleton, Sr., MB)
Jack Basarich (Catholic Memorial, Sr., OH)
Jackson Loewe (Fond du Lac, Jr., OH)
Jade Breckheimer (Kaukauna, Sr., Libero)
James Pirocanac (Burlington, Sr., MB)
Justice Koning (Madison Memorial, Sr., MB)
Liam Jansen (Germantown, Sr., OH)
Liam Lubkeman (Westosha Central, Jr., MB)
Liam Robertson (Waukesha Fusion, Sr., S)
Logan Mainka (Pewaukee, Jr., OH)
Luke Heberlein (Arrowhead, Sr., OH)
Matthew Teplin (Cedarburg, Sr., S)
Max Larcheid (Marquette, Jr., MB)
Max Morgan (Pius XI, Sr., OH)
Michael Janssen (Kimberly, Jr., MB)
Oakley Griggs (Germantown, Jr., S/RS)
Oliver Scharnick (Nicolet, Jr., RS)
Owen Krause (Kimberly, Jr., OH)
Parker Fraser (Franklin, Sr., S)
Roberts Osis (Nicolet, Jr., OH)
Tanner Sindorf (Kettle Moraine, Jr., Libero)
Teddy Young (Middleton, Sr., Outside/RS)
Tillon Galgan (Kenosha Indian Trail, Sr., OH)
Tristan Simkowski (Madison Memorial, Sr., S)
Wesley Wilken (Wauwatosa East, Sr., MB)