Article by Phoenix writer James Watkins ’26:
The Boys Varsity Volleyball team rose to the occasion and made Kellenberg proud finishing with an undefeated spring 2025 regular season.
The boys met their goals due to their unstoppable persistence and dedication to see a new version of themselves on the other side. This is a major victory for the school and a monumental achievement for everyone on and involved with the team.
Mr. Heitner, head coach of the team, regarded, “It was so rewarding to watch them come to practice and get excited to be around each other. It never felt like a ‘job.’ Their infectious
attitude, their comradery, and the way they listened to the staff without questioning made them the ultimate team to coach.”
The team overcame top rivals, such as Chaminade with a 3-1 win, and St. Anthony’s with a 3-0 win.
The coaching staff commended the players for their mutual respect and care for one another throughout the entire season. Each player gave their best solely for the benefit of their team and love of the sport.
Junior and right side hitter Samuel Gluck defined his incredible experience of being a part of this year’s team: “My teammates provided inspiration for me and everyone else. I I learned from them that when you put in the work, you can inspire others. Hard work is contagious.”
This season, the team extended their practices to a three-hour period which proved to be much more beneficial than the previous norm of two-hour practices from years before. With this new implementation, the team was able to look deep into their strengths and weaknesses and improve as a whole.
Despite their outward appearance of confidence and success, the team was not without its struggles. Throughout the season, there was consistently at least one person who became injured due to outside activities or games. Coach Heitner recalled having to repeatedly switch the lineup in order to find which player could fill what position. However, the team stepped up to the challenge, and with every switch, each member embraced their newfound roles and competed fiercely.
Having an undefeated regular season is extraordinarily rare. Only a few teams in Kellenberg’s history have done it. Having an undefeated regular season and a league championship is even more rare. And the final victory proved elusive for these boys too: Chaminade defeated Kellenberg 3-2 in the league championship match.
Heartbreaking, yes, but… But these boys were perfect anyway. It is a platitude to say “winning isn’t everything,” but in this case winning is indeed not everything because Kellenberg is extremely proud of the Boys 2025 Varsity Volleyball team for expressing some of the most important values: determination, hope, and selflessness. These young men have embodied what coach Heitner wants from his Kellenberg athletes, and that makes a perfect season.
Congratulations to all coaches and team members for an incredible season!
