It was hard to know what to expect from boys volleyball in its first season as Delaware’s newest sanctioned high school sport.
But on May 23, after Cape Henlopen shocked previously unbeaten Salesianum 3-0 in the championship match of the first DIAA Boys Volleyball Tournament, it was safe to say this sport had arrived.
The final was played in front of a raucous crowd in the Smyrna High gymnasium, with hundreds of fans from both schools providing enthusiastic support. The outcome was unexpected, but that just added to the excitement.
“We knew we were the underdogs,” Cape Henlopen senior Brady Lamb said after the Vikings won 25-23, 25-17, 25-19. “It kind of felt great to know that they thought they were going to win the whole thing.
“We just went in and outplayed them. We were more excited every point.”
It was a stunning rise for a team in just its third varsity season. Cape went 5-7 in 2021, then improved to 13-3 last year.
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But the Vikings are part of a growing wave. Boys volleyball has mushroomed from 11 teams to 30 statewide in the past three years, and in April it officially became the first new sport sanctioned by DIAA since girls lacrosse in 1998.
So now it’s time – for the first time – to rank boys volleyball players. Our final rankings are based on the All-State voting of the state’s coaches, with additional input from a prominent coach.
The best news is, only 13 of the 25 ranked players are seniors. Almost half of them will return next season, when this sport will continue to grow and improve and provide more excitement.
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ
Final Top 25 players in Delaware high school boys volleyball
25. Riley Buzby, so., Appoquinimink, outside hitter
24. Mitchell Holland, jr., Saint Mark’s, outside hitter
23. Aiden Dietrich, so., Salesianum, libero
22. Joey Zullo, sr., Conrad, middle blocker
21. Will Snyder, jr., Charter of Wilmington, outside hitter
20. Niko Panyko, sr., Cape Henlopen, libero
19. Aleks German, sr., Charter of Wilmington, setter
18. Zach Walton, jr., Dickinson, setter
17. Gabe Welsh, so., Conrad, libero
16. Ronan Landis, jr., Salesianum, setter
15. Joshua Michael, sr., Smyrna, outside hitter
14. Reece Dodd, jr., DMA, outside hitter
13. Armin Assari Naeini, sr., Mount Pleasant, outside hitter
12. Odin Potemski, sr., Cape Henlopen, opposite
11. Christian Sullivan, jr., Salesianum, outside hitter
10. Symir Byrd, sr., Newark Charter, outside hitter
9. Caleb Galbreath, sr., Indian River, middle blocker
8. J.P. Perdomo, sr., Dickinson, outside hitter
7. Shane Neidlein, sr., DMA, setter
6. Zackary Tjaden, sr., Delcastle, outside hitter
5. Talan Stephens, jr., Cape Henlopen, outside hitter
4. Reid Maas, so., Salesianum, middle blocker
3. Brady Lamb, sr., Cape Henlopen, outside hitter
2. K.J. Shahan, sr., Charter of Wilmington, outside hitter
1. Cody Popp, so., Salesianum, outside hitter
