The Emmaus High School boys volleyball team started the 2026 season with a new leader at the helm in first-year head coach Chris Miller.

Entering the year having won both the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and District 11 3A championships in 2025, the Hornets were riding a ton of positive momentum and had high expectations this season with a new coach.

Miller and the program picked up right where things left off a year ago and earned a second straight district title and qualified for the PIAA tournament once again.

Emmaus was defeated by District 3’s three seed, Hempfield, in four sets last Tuesday, June 2nd, in the first round of states at to concluded the season at 16-4 overall. The Hornets were 11-1 in the EPC.

“It was a fantastic first season and I couldn’t be more proud of the boys,” said Miller. “The seniors, especially, were great. Ben Skekel ran this team and made sure this team made it as far as we did and was a big reason why. Also props to junior Miles Boulrice for helping to run the team. As a junior, he stepped up and became a leader and I couldn’t have asked for more out of these guys this year.”

Emmaus won 11 of its 12 conference matches during the regular season and earned the top seed in the EPC Tournament, but fell to Whitehall in the semifinal round. The Hornets got revenge in districts as they took down Northampton and then

Freedom in the first two rounds and defeated the Zephyrs in straight sets in the championship match.

Boulrice was named the EPC’s Most Valuable Player after a dominant season. He will return next season. The Hornets graduated nine seniors, including Skekel, Grayson Answini, Josiah Brown, Cameron Furniss, Sander Houtz, Bilaal Kerim, Christopher Mitchell, Jesse Owusu-Frimpong and Jayden Perez.

Boulrice, along with Kai Lipski and Christopher Romig will be some of the key pieces back next season.

“I’m very excited about the future and happy with where this program is right now,” Miller said. “I’m disappointed this team lost so early in the state playoffs because we had such a talented group, but they still accomplished a lot and showed the community what this program is about. They laid the groundwork for next year’s team.”