The Whitehall boys volleyball team kicked off the new season by clipping the Hawks last Friday.

They swept the opener against Bethlehem Catholic in front of their home crowd, winning 25-10, 25-16, 25-14.

The Zephs used a balanced attack to handle the Hawks who had trouble slowing down Whitehall’s play in the frontcourt. The Zephs trio of Joseph Herman, Alex Khouri and Dylan McGinley combined for 30 kills.

“It was a great start to the season,” said Herman who led the way with 16 kills. “Coach really prepared us for this the last two weeks.”

Herman said their ability to jump on Bethlehem Catholic and sweep the match was due in large part to their experience playing together. He said that at the start of last season, it took some adjusting since they lost a lot of players to graduation. This year they retain almost their entire lineup and that’s enabled them to essentially hit the ground running.

“I think with the seniors on this team, we got going right away,” said Herman.

In addition to his 16 kills, Herman also had 14 digs. Libero Aziz Atiyeh had 13 digs and two aces, while setter Rick Melosky had 25 assists, 11 digs and two blocks. McGinley had six kills, 10 digs and two blocks, while Khouri had eight kills, three blocks and three aces.

Probably the play of the night came in the third set as Atiyeh made a diving save on a ball that looked destined to be a winner. With the volley continuing, Melosky made a big block at the net to finally give the Zephyrs the point.

“It was a great team effort,” said Herman.

He said that everyone had a hand in the win, and that’s something they can look forward to as the year progresses.

Head coach George Cowitch said that this is probably his easiest team to coach, noting that all the players are on the same page and their desire to work toward a common goal is evident. He said that after winning four silver medals in the last two years (league and district runners-up), there’s a different mindset.

“These guys are hungry,” said Cowitch. “That’s scary when a team is hungry.”

Cowitch said that their ability to play their first match like it was a midseason contest is a testament to them and what it bodes for the rest of the year.

“We’re only going to get better, and we know that,” Cowitch said.

He said they still need to work on things, and in this game is was their blocks, and they’ll address that and tighten things up.

Herman said that they would ultimately like to reverse their postseason fortunes, but right now the focus is on their upcoming tournament.

In the Easton Invitational Tournament, the Zephyrs, who were 7-1 in pool play, made it to the semifinals where they got knocked off by Central Bucks East. In that tourney, Herman was named to the all-tournament team.