When they had the bulk of their starting lineup graduate last spring, Quakertown head boys volleyball coach Andy Snyder understood his and the team’s mission this spring. The Panthers were in contention of making the district playoffs last season, but they fell short in the final weeks.
“This has been about rebuilding,” stressed Snyder. “We lost nine seniors to graduation, and we only had one player returning.
“We knew this would take some time.”
Senior Anthony Clark is the lone returnee and a captain. Sophomore Owen Reinford, whose older brother Micah led the team with 125 kills in his senior season last year, is the other team captain.
From there, the team is composed of a few seniors and mostly juniors, sophomores and freshmen, who are all progressing along the way. At press time, the Panthers were 3-14.
“We’re young, and we are getting better,” noted Snyder. “We knew what to expect from the start. But we have been working to turn things around.”
The Panthers began the season with an 11-match losing streak before they broke through with a 3-2 win over Council Rock South. They followed that with a 3-2 win over North Penn, marking their first conference victory of the season.
Along with Clark and Reinford, other steady contributors have been senior Tyler Moyer, juniors Owen Latt, Rhauan Ferreria, Rhenan Ferriera and sophomore Alex Alfaro-Diaz.
“We have a core that is building,” added Snyder. “We just have to have consistent contributions.”
Despite the share of trials and tribulations, the Panthers are remaining optimistic. Since their winless start, they have won three of six matches. Getting quality and effective playing time for his maturing lineup will be invaluable.
“We have been making progress and gaining valuable experience that will serve us well in the future,” said Snyder. “This season, our goal is to get our younger players the playing time and experience they need to become competitive at the varsity level.”
Snyder also has begun to implement a middle school program to further help retool the program.
“Our middle school program will serve as our feeder program,” noted Snyder. “We need to teach the players the game before they reach high school.”
The Panthers had four matches left during the final week of the season that began Tuesday with Central Bucks East. They will then close out the seasons against Pennridge, Southern Lehigh and Central Bucks South.
“We just have to keep working,” stated Snyder. “We have been more competitive, and we like what we have seen.”
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