After finishing up below the .500 mark and making a first-round exit from the tournament under first-year coach John Vaughn last spring, the Londonderry High boys’ volleyball squad saw a number of its spikers graduate and leave the fold.
But three important seniors are back from that 6-10 crew as Vaughn commences his second campaign, and there are a slew of additions to the roster, including several newcomers who are fresh off an undefeated championship basketball campaign.
The key senior returnees include setter Spenser Flood, defensive specialist Aidan McCaffrey, and opposite Ryan Muse.
Players making the move up from the junior varsity level to the varsity include seniors Ben Stoller (outside hitter), Tim O’Neil (OH), Chris Monks (OH), and Lucas Poulin (defensive specialist). Poulin was a stalwart and team-leading captain on the Lancers’ varsity ice hockey squad during the winter season.
And Vaughn’s newcomers include Mr. New Hampshire Basketball Cody Ball and his fellow senior hoop star Marc Corey, both of whom played vital roles for the Division I title-winning LHS basketball team this past winter. Both of them will serve as middle-hitters for the volleyball crew. Senior outside-hitter Jeff Baroody has also been added to the Lancer volleyball contingent.
When asked who he thinks the top teams in Division I will be this spring, Vaughn – who was the man who started the LHS girls’ volleyball program several decades ago – responded, “The front-runners are Salem, Pinkerton, and Timberlane.”
And the Lancers had their hands full in their season-opener on Monday, April 13, when they kicked things off by playing the 10-time defending state champions from Salem High at LHS.
The Blue Devils powered their way to wins of 25-11 and 25-16 in the first two games to snare a 2-0 match lead, despite the fact that their hosts were in command of that second contest early on. And the Lancers remained alive by battling their way in spirited fashion to a 25-22 victory in game three.
However, the visiting Salem High School spikers then ended the day’s battle by winning game four by a decisive 25-15 margin.