The WJ men’s volleyball team (4-4), has been one of the last four teams standing in the state tournament for the past five years. This year the Warriors face the challenge of replacing four starters from last year and returning to the state final four. Unfazed, senior captain Eric Bulgrin noted, “We have had success in the past bringing in guys to learn the system and play at a high level.”

Still, it has taken some time for the Warriors to learn how to play with each other and build the necessary chemistry. Head Coach Brad Seislove stated, “We set goals individually and as a team; our goal is to win a state championship, and we can do that by maintaining our focus on coming in and getting better every day.” Practicing and working hard on receiving, ball control, and blocking, have become the biggest threats to the opposition. Junior libero Eric Topliff noted, “This team loves to play. All of us guys are a family, and we are all really good friends on and off the court.”

Eric Bulgrin spoke on the areas of focus this year; “The team is young and inexperienced, but our leadership helps them through that.” Coach Seislove added that “…serving the ball is going to be worked on every day so that we can make it a strength.” If the team works on following the lead of the seniors and serving, they will be dangerous and very lethal come playoff time.

The team believes that the one thing that will get them to lifting the trophy in June is support from the Warrior Nation. Assistant Coach Kalyn Seislove conveyed, “This is a good group of guys that want to win. Not many people know much about the sport of volleyball, and coming and supporting the team is a good way to find out more.” With the support of the fans and the determination to be better each and every day, the stage will be set for another exciting season for the men’s volleyball team.