Captain Nathan Rosenberger and senior Matthew Mclafferty described the start of the 2024 volleyball season as “promising” after proving themselves victorious against several solid teams in their division. They project that this season’s performance will be an improvement from recent seasons in terms of conference wins. 

Nathan and Matt are joined by co-captains Rafe Hankey and Sam Jacobs and seniors Aidan Mccay, Everett Walker, Will Young, and Jordan Harmon. They said everybody gets along well together, including the several new players. 

“We all have individual groups that hang out, and we all like each other,” said Nathan. They work as a team by communicating well with each other and exchanging compliments and constructive criticism.

Nathan started playing volleyball in ninth grade when a former student in his gym class told him to join because he was tall. Matt joined the team a year later, because of Nathan. 

Nathan and Matt have enjoyed their time at AHS playing volleyball. Some of their favorite memories include playing against Penn Hills on senior night, participating in the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Tournament, playing against Central Catholic, and listening to Mr. Hedglin’s motivational speeches.

The most enjoyable part of playing volleyball, according to Matt and Nathan, is the team aspect. It takes a whole team to succeed in the sport, they explained. 

They also said that, like basketball and golf, volleyball is one of the sports that people commonly participate in after high school. This year’s JV coach still plays pickup games and participates in local tournaments. Nathan and Matt would consider playing volleyball for a club after high school. 

“Next year is going to be good,” Nathan said when asked what the future of volleyball will look like at AHS. They also said that, unless more underclassmen join the team, after next year things may go downhill. Currently, there are only three sophomores on the team. 

“Relax a little bit. You can miss a few points and it’s not that big of a deal,” offered Nathan as advice for the underclassmen. 

“Watch out for kids under the net,” Matt joked, referring to the ankle injury he sustained during the game against Mount Lebanon. 

To make it to the playoffs, the River Hawks will have to beat Latrobe, last year’s 2A champions. While it may be daunting, Nathan and Matt believe a win would be possible, since last year’s game was so close. 

Nathan and Matt are looking forward to the game against Central Catholic and senior night, which is scheduled for April 30 at 6:00 p.m. against Gateway.

Captain Nathan Rosenberger and senior Matthew Mclafferty (left to right), of the Armstrong boys’ volleyball team, at an interview with Anthony Reitano and Nathan Ferraro on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at AHS. (Natalie Claypoole)