A dominant season ended in equally impressive fashion.
Top-seed Regis knocked off visiting Cardinal Spellman, 19-25, 25-9, 25-9, 25-15, in the CHSAA boys volleyball championship match Wednesday night on the Upper East Side. The Raiders lost the first set while using exclusively freshmen and sophomores and have now won three of the last four titles.
Just don’t use the ‘D’ word in front of coach Alex Chan.
“I certainly don’t like the word dynasty,” said the head man who has elevated the program to one of the city’s best regardless of league. “Then you’re assuming already we’re going to be just as good next year. I can’t do that. Then you have a false sense of security and you get overconfident. Next year, we could be in last place.”
Chan doesn’t take anything for granted. There were worries coming into this season after losing graduated senior captains like Matt Vuoncino and Billy Carballeira. Regis has become systematic, though, and players like Tom McLaughlin, Tyler Sellers, Will Salter and Brian Cavaluzzo were able to replace the losses for what the coach described as his deepest team yet.
“That was a huge difference,” Chan said. “I think this year was much more of a team effort. Our bench was much deeper and more experienced than years past.”
McLaughlin had nine kills and 14 service points and Tyler Sellers had 10 kills. The two stars didn’t play the whole match – Chan doesn’t believe in that. Every single player in his roster got into the final, just like they did in every other contest during the season. That’s part of his philosophy.
“All 16 people can share in the victory,” Chan said. “We are not a professional basketball team where you have some benchwarmers and then stars. I’d rather lose a set and make sure my team all played.”
He is unorthodox in that way, but the coach has built the program the right way with diligence, hard work and a willingness to take on challenges against the elite teams from the area. Regis was omni-present in tournaments all over the five boroughs and even Connecticut this season, a rarity for teams in the young CHSAA league. Not only did the Raiders compete, but they were in every match, including a championship encounter with Cardozo, a PSAL semifinalist, at the storied team’s host tournament.
“I think we have a great program in place,” Chan said. “I think the program we have can churn out and produce solid players every year.”
Unlike last year, Regis got to complete the playoffs in its gym after earning homecourt advantage throughout with the top seed. In 2011, there was a fire at the Upper East Side school that damaged the gym and forced the Raiders to become nomads down the stretch.
Now they have a beautiful, brand-new facility and got to enjoy it Wednesday in a championship setting. Regis did not lose a match to a CHSAA team all year and completed the undefeated campaign with a well-earned campaign.
Just don’t call the Raiders a dynasty.
“There’s always going to be on years and off years,” Chan said. “We’ve been very fortunate to have a couple of on years. We try to guarantee that with hard work, but you never know what circumstances can change.”