For the upcoming Boys Volleyball season, the team expects to have another impressive year, all while improving their record from last year.  The NWN had the opportunity to sit down with head coach Andrew Roche to talk about this year’s team.

NWN: How does the team look this year?

Roche: We’re looking great.  We’re very young, considering we have three sophomores on varsity, and we’re excited.

NWN: What are the team’s goals for this year?

Roche: Put simply, we’re focused on winning games.  We aren’t worried about how we start, but how we finish.  Also, we want to constantly improve our game.

NWN: How have you guys improved since last year?

Roche: We have a new defense, and, more importantly, a quicker offense.  Our attitude and way we approach things has also improved drastically.

NWN: What are your most important games?

Roche: The Niles North game will be important because of the traveling trophy, but the Maine South game will be personal for me, since I went there.  Basically, any conference match we have will be important.  Because of Maine South and New Trier, the conference is one of the best in the state.

NWN: Are there areas of improvement that you feel are necessary?

Roche: We’re always trying to improve our defense.  If we have a good defense, a good offense will follow.

NWN: Who do you think the team’s biggest contributors will be?  Do you have captains yet?

Roche: As of right now, we don’t have captains, but we’re doing something different this year.  Every week, we’ll have a new captain based on that person’s performance from the previous week.  I anticipate our key contributors to be seniors Nick Hester, Nathan Celinski, and Alvin Lee.

NWN: How do you anticipate the team will perform in the long run?

Roche: It’s always a crap-shoot.  The Northshore area is very strong at Boys Volleyball.  The competition is very tough, but I believe we can go as far as we want in the postseason.