Under coach Bruce Betts, the boys’ varsity volleyball team won eight state championships in the past 10 years, had a 101-game win streak and won eight straight FCIAC championships.
However, this winter Betts announced his retirement, giving his current position to girls’ volleyball head coach Jon Shepro.
The players have already made the transition.
“It was certainly a shocker to hear Betts would not return as the head coach but I think from day one Shepro has shown that he is a very good fit to take over,” Jordan Goldstein ’11 said.
Shepro enters the position after being named head coach of the girls’ varsity team last year. The girls’ team made it to the quarterfinals in both the FCIAC and State tournaments during their fall season.
“Coach Betts did a fantastic job creating a culture of winning, and it’s much more difficult to start that culture than it is to continue it,” Shepro said.
Last fall, after Betts stepped down as the head coach of the girls’ team, Shepro replaced him. Unlike his transition to head coach of the girls’ team, Shepro had not been an assistant coach for the boys.
“It’s tough. I’m feeling them out,” Shepro said. “I don’t recall ever coming into a team and not knowing any off the players previously. So it’s definitely tough.”
The team hopes to start a new streak in the Shepro-led era. Regardless, Shepro, and the rest of the team, plan on having a successful season.
“It should be a fun season, and since it’s relatively nascent it’s hard to say whether or not things will be extraordinary,” quad-captain Danny Fishman ’11 said. “But I can guarantee that we’ll win a lot of games and work hard for every game.”
The road to an FCIAC championship does not look to be an easy one, Jordan Goldstein ’11 said. Ridgefield and Bridgeport Central will be tough opponents this year Goldstein thinks that Staples will be able to handle the competition.
“This year’s team is certainly one of the most consistently talented teams that I’ve seen assembled at Staples,” Goldstein said. “Each player is skilled and can play numerous positions and that is very beneficial if some one gets hurt.
The team’s versatility will benefit them during the season With a high number of returning players, the boys’ team is looking forward to proving any doubters wrong and showing they can succeed without Betts.
According to Shepro, they’re already set.
“They really know what their doing,” Shepro said. “I’ve never seen a team that’s as far ahead of other teams this early in the season. ”
