In their inaugural season, McLean’s boys volleyball team entered the lower gym Tuesday night to play the Kellam High School Knights in the state semifinals. Hailing from Virginia Beach, the Knights entered the match with an impressive 26-1 record; the Highlanders, still undefeated, held a record of 22-0. The two Virginia powerhouses were poised for a historic match in McLean’s first-ever boys volleyball state tournament sanctioned by the Virginia High School League (VHSL).
Two clear themes emerged in the beginning of the first set: the Knights’ height and organizational advantage. Kellam senior captain Joel Eanes, standing at 6 feet 10 inches, was surrounded by a team of players almost exclusively 6 feet and taller, allowing for lethal spikes against the Highlanders. Kellam also had stronger team dynamics than McLean, which coaches and players accredit to their history with volleyball. Unlike McLean, whose volleyball team is only a few months old, Kellam’s boys volleyball team has existed for decades.
“Kellam’s greatest advantage was their height and chemistry,” team captain junior Evan Li said. “Having a player at almost 7 feet tall was great for them, [and] they’ve had many more years to build up that team chemistry.”
Kellam took a sizable mid-set lead of 13-8 on the back of spikes from their tallest team members, which were struck at a much steeper angle than McLean’s, reaching the floor quicker. Throughout the match, it seemed the Highlanders were scoring on errors from Kellam, while Kellam scored more decisive points through clean set-ups and spikes.
Another clear hole on the court was the absence of team captain senior Brennan Lengel. Out with a back and hip injury the whole match, the team not only missed out on his skill but also the enthusiasm he brought to his teammates after points.
“I think missing Brennan tonight affected the whole team deeply,” Li said. “Brennan brings us the energy that we need from his celebrations, and without it, it felt like we were missing a vital organ.”
Kellam continued to pull away with the first set, extending their lead to 18-12, despite an impressive dink from junior Zolo Ganzorig, one of McLean’s outside hitters. The Knights squashed any and all momentum gained from the play and secured the set 25-18.
Set 2 had a more promising start, with the Highlanders fighting point by point for a 4-4 score. After some well-placed tips, McLean took a 7-6 lead. The set stayed close, with Kellam and McLean trading point for point. However, once Kellam took a 19-17 lead, they pulled away with the set, despite the encouragement from McLean’s student section.
The beginning of the third set was equally competitive. Kellam took a 6-4 lead, but McLean later tied the set at nine apiece. At this point, McLean would need to win three straight sets if they were to mount a comeback against Kellam. The height of the Knights allowed them to deflect multiple spikes from team captain senior Luke Cowan. Being McLean’s star player, it was crucial for Kellam to shut down Cowan, and they did an excellent job containing him.
Antsy for the end of the match, Kellam’s communication was slipping, resulting in dropped balls and ceiling hits. However, the Highlanders had similar coordination issues. Kellam ultimately took a 19-17 lead and then took control of the end of the set, winning 25-19.
“We came in with a game plan to do certain things, and Kellum put pressure on us,” Assistant Coach Jason Fehr said. “That made it hard for us to execute on our plan. Some of it was successful, but they had a lot of power and a lot of weapons. It became challenging to stop that. Once you build a gap in points, it’s hard to close that gap.”
All season, the Highlanders were not just beating their opponents, they were crushing them. This time, McLean was on the other end of the 3-0 sweep. Still, nothing can change the fact that in the first year of the team’s existence, the Highlanders became Liberty District and Northern Region champions, as well as VHSL state semifinalists.
“We know we have things to work on, but we’re blessed with a very supportive program, everybody from the principal all the way down to the managers who support us and the fans in the gym,” Fehr said. “We have three seniors, three juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen. That’s a great foundation to build on. Now, they’ve all experienced what a state tournament looks like. The guys should walk away from this with a lot of great memories. Hopefully they forget how it ended here, but you learn sometimes more from losing than you do from winning.”
