Whitehall’s boys volleyball program has been the model of consistency in the Lehigh Valley and the Zephyrs will look to continue that march into this spring.

Coming off last year’s 12-8 mark, which saw them lose in the District 11 3A semifinals to Emmaus in five games, head coach George Cowitch returns a group that he expects to challenge for postseason berths.

“We can be one of the top teams in the league as long as we manage the six inches between our ears,” said Cowitch. “These guys are mentally better than we have been in the past, and that is what has kept us from holding leads and finishing late in big matches. It’s truly a testament to them and the hard work they have put in during the off season.”

The top players back on the court for the Zephyrs include Logan McGinley (Jr.) OH, Myles Thomas (Sr.) MH, Jacob Bird (Sr.) OH, Joseph Maamari (Jr.) and Kyle Sayre (Jr.) libero.

Newcomers include a pair of brothers, as Joseph Herman (FR.) MH and Nick Herman (Jr.) OPP fill two major roles this season.

“We filled in the gaps with the guys that graduated quite nicely with the Herman brothers and Kyle Sayre in the back row,” he said. “Our biggest strength is our offensive attack. We are much stronger and smarter on offense than we were last year. This was a young group last season.

“We are way more experienced at this point. This team is different from other teams we’ve had, as they have a strong desire to win, and just refuse to lose. It’s infectious for sure.”

Whitehall kicked off their season with a three-game sweep over Quakertown last week, winning 25-19, 25-9, 25-17 before moving on to this week’s East Penn Conference openers with a 25-18, 25-13, 25-10 win over Northampton on Tuesday and Thursday’s tilt at Nazareth.

Getting back to the league and district postseason is always on the agenda for Whitehall, but Cowitch understands his team will need to improve on some areas if they truly want to be one of the best teams in the league.

“We need to be able to serve receive and block at the net,” he said. “We have some first time starters in there, but you would never know it by watching them play.”