Boys Volleyball — New-look Hornets could be pushed as they look for 3-peat with more parity in EPC and District XI (PREVIEW)

Head coach – Ken Dunkle (5th season)

Assistants – Karyn Moll (JV), Carolyn Lukiewski, Brianne Giangobbe

Last year – 23-1 overall/16-0 EPC …..Won EPC and District XI Championships second straight season ….PIAA state tournament defeated Central (3-0), CR North (3-1), lost to Hempfield (3-0) in state semifinals

Losses to graduation – setter Cam Parsons (1st Team EPC, Eastern University), OH James Haag (EPC MVP, NYU), MH Matt Swanson (1st Team EPC), Tom Mazzella, DS/S/OPP Mitchell Shoemaker, DS Sam Workman


Returnees – Sr. OH Stephen Reynolds (Hon. Ment. EPC), Sr. MH Owen Kennedy, Sr. L Harrison Dottery, Soph. OH Nick Blose, Jr. MH Noah Szankovics

Newcomers – Sr. MH Mark Swedberg, Sr. OH Ethan Parvel, Sr. OH Bryce Diehl, Jr. MH Miguel Abadilla, Jr. L Riley Bender, Jr. DS Aidan Connolly, Sr. DS Callen Reid, Soph. S Gannon DeFrain, Jr. OH Nathan Eshleman


Season-opener – March 22 vs Liberty (Away)


Tournaments: March 23 – Red Rover Invitational; March 30 – Bobcat Invitational, Northeastern HS; April 13 Koller Classic, Central York HS


Coach Dunkle: “To some extent every year is rebuilding year but it’s usually a couple positions here and there. The biggest thing is that we had three all-state players that we graduated (James Haag, Matt Swanson and Cameron Parsons) and we lost the quarterback of our team (Parsons), who was one of the top three setters in the state and that’s a tough role to fill. We are trying to groom Gannon (DeFrain) for the position and we are really going to rely on him this year.”


“We have a strong supporting cast in Stephen (Reynolds), Owen (Kennedy), Harrison (Dottery), Nick (Blose) and Noah (Szankovics) and then you add in the addition of three basketball players in Ethan (Parvel), Mark (Swedberg) and Bryce (Diehl) and we really are a tall team. We have a lot of height and we probably have more depth than we’ve had in my four prior years as head coach.”


EPC challengers: Whitehall, Parkland, Freedom, Liberty


Follow the team on social media – Twitter (@Emmaussports.com) (@EmmausBoysVBall), Facebook (Emmaus boys volleyball)