After two Western Mass. Class C titles in two seasons as a varsity program, Frontier boys volleyball has ditched its independent schedule and is joining the Eastern League in pursuit of a Western Mass. three-peat.

Sean MacDonald, who led the Frontier girls program to 18 Western Mass. titles and 11 state championships, retired from the girls program this fall but is staying on to continue coaching the boys team. He co-coaches it with Courtney Parent, a former Frontier player and longtime assistant who was recently named head coach of the girls program.

Frontier expects the jump from independence to the Eastern to be a challenge. They’ll play two matches against each opponent in the East – Central, Putnam, Belchertown and Longmeadow. The Redhawks also play once against each member of the Northern League – Chicopee Comp, Ludlow, Minnechaug, Westfield, West Springfield and defending state champion Agawam.

“I think it’s going to change things a lot,” Parent said. “We’re playing in a pretty tough league. I think it’s good for us, but at the same time, it’s a lot tougher than what we faced the past few years.”

So far this season, Frontier is 2-3, with losses against Chicopee Comp, Sci-Tech and Minnechaug and wins over Putnam and Pioneer Valley Christian.

MacDonald and Parent are looking to grow the new program amid what they say are some misconceptions that volleyball is a girls sport. Boys volleyball is the fastest growing sport in the United States and teams are sprouting up everywhere, including South Hadley, which will play its first season as a varsity program this spring.

“After an exciting match [over Pioneer Valley Christian] in five sets, we had a couple guys come out of the stands and say ‘is it too late to join?’” MacDonald said. “If you can see it, and see what it is, you’re like ‘oh’...the boys game is its own version of volleyball.”

Junior captain Tavo Vincent-Warner will run the Redhawks’ offense for the third straight season. He’s on pace to become the first boys player in school history to reach 1,000 career assists and should reach the milestone in the next couple of weeks.

“He does a great job. He covers a lot of ground,” Parent said. “Especially when we’re not having a good passing night, he gets to almost every ball.”

Senior captain Theo Sargent has already played multiple positions this season and MacDonald called him a “Swiss Army Knife.”

Senior twins Aleks and Jack Carey also figure to play major roles for the Redhawks. Their mother, Leena, played volleyball at Rhode Island, and they’ve been with the program since its conception. Aleks and Jack’s older brother, Peter, stands at 6-foot-11 and played two seasons of basketball for Syracuse before entering the transfer portal this offseason. Jack has grown to around 6-foot-5 and Aleks is around 6-foot-8.

Evan Maio, younger brother of Frontier girls volleyball player Caitlin, will serve as Frontier’s libero this season. He’s new to the sport but is excelling so far as an eighth grader, Parent and MacDonald said.

Frontier plays four other eighth graders and MacDonald said he’s “really excited” to see how the JV program and Frontier’s younger players perform this season. 

“It’s a nice group that I hope we can keep together for a few years,” MacDonald said.

Frontier

Coaches: Sean MacDonald and Courtney Parent

League/Division: East/2

Roster: SENIORS: Kaisac Yath, Aleks Carey, Jack Carey, Theo Sargent. JUNIORS: William Petrin, William Reading, Tavo Vincent-Warner. SOPHOMORES: Ethan Rivera, Benjamin Ayotte, Tyler Belue. FRESHMAN: Eric Coldwell. EIGHTH GRADE: Dean Gray, Charlie Tozloski, Brendan Carey, Evan Maio, Leonardo Musante.

Granby

Coach: Chad Gagnon

League/Division: West/2

Roster: SENIORS: Michael Swanigan, Nicolas Grandmont. SOPHOMORES: Braeden Gallagher, Daniel Santiago, Durant Garden, Jake Gagnon. FRESHMEN: Nathan Walsh, Ralph El Aouji.

The Rams have followed up a 13-7 campaign in 2023 with a 3-0 start so far in 2024, with wins over Holyoke, Chicopee and Duggan. They played a preseason tournament out in Boston and did “pretty well” despite missing two starters, head coach Chad Gagnon said.

Granby is led by a trio of players who also play club volleyball – senior Michael Swanigan and sophomores Braeden Gallagher and Jake Gagnon. All three have been starting since seventh grade.

“They are the real deal,” Gagnon said. “For a small town like Granby, it’s incredible to have three guys of that caliber on one team.”

Swanigan will likely reach 500 kills this season.

“When we play, we’re going to be keeping an eye on him, we can’t lose him,” Sean MacDonald said of Granby’s Swanigan.

Belchertown

Coach: Chris Shea

League/Division: East/2

Roster: SENIOR: Rainer Kristensen. JUNIORS: Noah Yankson, David Akodu, Adam Cooper, Rocco Meausky, Colin Mullen, Zach Dragon, Jack Bergeron, Luke Bergeron. SOPHOMORES: Shea MacLean, Brian Burns, Ryan Shea. FRESHMAN: Gavin Couchon.

Last season, the Orioles went 5-14 and lost to West Springfield in the state tournament’s Round of 32. They lost five seniors from that group, but this year, they’ll have just a single senior – Rainer Kristensen. 

Kristensen ended last season with 702 career assists, and started this season with 19 at home versus Ludlow and 14 at Longmeadow.

Noah Yankson leads a crop of eight juniors, and sophomores Shea MacLean and Brian Burns received considerable playing time last year as freshmen.

Holyoke

Coach: Paula Conway

League/Division: South/2

Roster: SENIORS: Jeduar Colon, Alexander Dumas, Adrian Centeno Feliciano, Abinadab Garay Cintron, Ian Rivera Soler, Carlos Silva. JUNIORS: Nathan Jusino, Xavier Matas, Michael Melendez, Gedeon Ortiz, Yandiel Rivera Troche, Daniel Rodriguez.

Paula Conway has been coaching volleyball at Holyoke for over 30 years and returns to coach a Purple Knights team coming off a 11-8 season in 2023. Holyoke is 2-1 this year, with a loss to Granby on the season’s opening night and wins over Commerce and Southwick.

The Purple Knights have a mix of seven varsity returners, four call-ups from JV and one newcomer. Jeduar Colon figures to lead the group after pacing the team in digs last season.

South Hadley

Coaches: Brooke Conner and Sam Yesu

League/Division: independent/2

Roster: SENIORS: Christian Aponte, James Asselin, Kayden Avisata-Taylor, Beau Briere, Junoon Giridhar, Sam Morozov, Connor Racine-Rocheleau, Jonathan Grim. JUNIORS: Ethan Bombard, Moki Kovacs.

The Tigers are brand new to Western Mass. volleyball and play their first season as a varsity program in 2024 after a year as a JV team in 2023. Brooke Conner, a South Hadley alumna, and Sam Yesu, who graduated from Westfield last year, are co-head coaches.

Junoon Giridhar will run the Tigers offense and Beau Briere slots in at outside hitter. Sam Morozov is South Hadley’s libero.