Pennsauken boys' volleyball team wins with diversity
When Robert Macauley was a sophomore, he was a member of the Pennsauken High School boys' volleyball practice squad. That's remarkable for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that there is a Pennsauken High School boys' volleyball practice squad.
When Robert Macauley was a sophomore, he was a member of the Pennsauken High School boys' volleyball practice squad.
That's remarkable for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that there is a Pennsauken High School boys' volleyball practice squad.
"We have a varsity, a JV, a freshman team, and a practice squad," Pennsauken coach Jack Killion said of one of South Jersey's more remarkable athletic programs.
Killion said 65 boys are members of the Indians program, and he can't fit them all on the three official rosters. So there's a practice squad of players who participate in workouts but not games.
They get a T-shirt and certificate of participation. Many of them sit in the stands during varsity matches, chanting and cheering along with other students.
"That's our seventh man," Pennsauken junior setter Tuan Nguyen said. "They carry the team."
That was Macauley as a 10th grader. He had never played the sport "except in gym class," and he didn't participate as a freshman.
He was a member of the practice squad as a sophomore, learning the sport and embracing the culture of inclusion and positive energy that surrounds the program.
"I loved sitting in the stands," Macauley said. "That's the heartbeat of the team."
Today, those fans are cheering for Macauley, a 6-foot-4 athlete who is among the more imposing hitters in South Jersey.
Macauley is an African American. Nguyen is an Asian American. Senior hitter Malek Maddah, another standout for the Indians, moved to this country from Venezuela as a seventh grader.
"I didn't know a word of English," said the 6-foot-4 Maddah, a top student who is planning to continue his education at Rutgers or Drexel.
Pennsauken athletic director Eric Mossop said the boys' volleyball team "best represents the demographic of this school."
Nguyen said he "loves" the diversity of the town and school and especially the way students from different cultures find common ground in a sport that seems to encourage spirited cooperation.
"I love the energy," Nguyen said. "We all bring something different. We feed off each other."
Killion and assistant coach Kevin Jeffers started the boys' volleyball program nine years ago. That first season, 14 kids came out.
Since then, the participation has grown and grown, with an average of 60 or 70 per season.
"We're becoming a volleyball school," Mossop said.
Killion insists that his players attend a study hall before practice. Last year, the volleyball team became the first boys' team to win the school's award for the highest cumulative grade-point average.
"We're winning it again this year," Killion vowed. "We're not giving that up."
The Indians aren't just a good story. They also are a good team.
They opened the season with a 2-0 win over perennial power Cherry Hill East, finished second in the 21-team Moorestown Tipoff tournament on April 2, and defeated Clearview, Moorestown, and Cinnaminson recently.
"This could be the best team we've ever had," Killion said after a competitive loss to Eastern on Tuesday afternoon.
Before the battle with the high-powered Vikings, Macauley gathered his teammates in a huddle and led them in an "I believe that we will win" cheer.
The Indians took the court to loud cheers from a boisterous student section, which featured some members of this year's practice squad.
Before the first serve, Nguyen hit the floor for some break-dance moves, whirling on the hardwood like a top with arms and legs.
"I used to break-dance a lot," the 5-foot-7 Nguyen said. "Now I'm addicted to this sport."
Macauley said Nguyen's break-dancing sets the stage for the Indians before the start of every game.
"I'm like, 'Yeah, Tuan, get us fired up,' " Macauley said. "I also get jealous. I wish I could do that."
@PhilAnastasia
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