Hanging on the wall in the New Bedford gymnasium is a cloth monument of what once ruled boys volleyball in Massachusetts for a decade.
One banner is for the 1989 Div. 2 state championship the Whalers won when the sport was still young in the state. Another shows the pure dominance that followed, with seven state championships and two three-peats between 1991 and 1999.
The color and print of neither banner is flashy, maybe an indication of just how long ago the era they represent ended. Perhaps even louder, though, is the blank space next to “1999” where one more year would fit – one New Bedford hasn’t been able to win in the 24 years since its last state title.
But now in the 25th year of the hiatus, the Whalers (12-0) are the last unbeaten team left in Div. 1 and are as motivated as ever to add their mark to the program’s lore.
“I know Needham’s been that team, and the Newton Norths, Naticks, and all those teams have had their runs and dominated,” said head coach Ben Kaeterle. “But we always tell the kids there’s one spot on the banner that we want them to fill.”
“I mean, we have almost the entirety of the 90s (up there), state championship after state championship,” added senior captain Carter Barbosa, who’s attending Harvard next year. “We’re really trying to fill that banner and we believe that this is the closest we’ve ever been to be able to do that.”
Barbosa, a third-year starting setter, orchestrates a well-balanced attack that’s gradually improved. Junior Davon Centeio has played well at libero. Moving junior Nick Rosa to right-side bolstered the team’s blocking, and overpowering outside hitter Juan Grau Montano – a 6-foot-3 sophomore transfer from Colombia – has been a game-changer.
The result, alongside many other contributions, is the program’s longest unbeaten start since 2007. Strength of schedule rating limits New Bedford to No. 10 spot in the latest MIAA Div. 1 power rankings, but two wins over North Quincy and another over rival Greater New Bedford are notable.
“Our preseason goal was to go undefeated (and) at first I thought, ‘Wow, we’re being a little ambitious,’” Barbosa said. “Now that we’re (12-0), it’s obviously not as far-fetched as I had thought. … Every single individual, the way we click, our chemistry – it’s just, we’re on fire. And I don’t think that’s going to stop anytime soon.”
There are still hurdles to overcome in terms of a state championship, without much to show how the Whalers stack up to the state’s other powers. But New Bedford is used to leaping over hurdles.
When Kaeterle took over in 2017, it had already been six years since New Bedford last advanced past the first round in playoffs. Players set the goal of winning a state title, but rarely won in a tumultuous season. The Whalers didn’t make the playoffs in 2018 or 2019, either, and the first year after the pandemic didn’t bring many players to tryouts.
That group finished 5-13 with a first-round exit in the state tournament to Needham.
“The first couple years, guys were quitting,” said Kaeterle, a 2006 New Bedford graduate. “Guys were upset with me. There was no culture, what I walked into, that it had been in the past. … It was kind of building the foundation and going from there.”
Playing Needham in 2021 was a turning point, seeing what high-powered volleyball looked like outside of the South Shore. And ever since, it’s been a night-and-day difference.
The 2022 team won 12 games for the first time since 2016; 2023 was a 13-win season. Now, with 12 wins after an offseason in which several players were involved with club, the Whalers feel confident in a deeper run.
“This group has bought in since their freshman year,” Kaeterle said. “I think that’s where the change is now after eight years. Have a couple kids buying in and seeing what the offseason does to you, the beach does to you. Putting the time in the weight room and constantly playing. That’s why the top five is what the top five and the top 10 is. It doesn’t really happen overnight.”
At the core of this year’s success as well is the adoption of the African “ubuntu” philosophy, which roughly means, “I am what I am because of who we all are.” A team-first mindset is a priority.
What it’s led to is a positive atmosphere in the gym – one that has volleyball buzzing again in New Bedford.
“I just feel so grateful to be a part of something, to be bringing back the volleyball spirit in New Bedford that was so big at one time and then kind of took a break, wasn’t that big,” Barbosa said. “I’m just really happy to see how far we’ve come. … To see everyone grow around me too, and to become the team we’ve become. Individually and all together, it’s really impressive actually.”
Strong start at BC High
Two years removed from finishing 7-10 with a first-round exit in the Div. 1 state tournament, BC High has built up its strength as a serious playoff threat this season.
The Eagles are 10-2 despite a beefed-up schedule, with signature wins over Milford, Wayland, Cambridge, St. John’s (S) and St. John’s Prep.
“The competition we’ve faced this year is one of the toughest in recent years for our program so it definitely builds confidence,” said head coach James Chen. “One thing that has stood out has been each player’s commitment since the start of the season to being the best that they can be.”
Westfield, Western Mass. rank atop Div. 2
Six of the top seven teams in the latest MIAA Div. 2 power rankings come from the West, led by reigning finalist Westfield (13-0) at No. 1 and defending champion Agawam (13-2) at No. 2. Wayland (8-4) ranks No. 3, but West Springfield (10-4), Longmeadow (10-3), Granby (14-1) and Ludlow (7-7) hold the next four spots.
The realignments of Milford, North Quincy and Greater New Bedford into Div. 1 seem to play a major role, though only Milford’s rating would crack the top five in Div. 2.
“It is a strong reflection of the West,” said Westfield head coach Tyler Wingate. “I think that you’re seeing a rise of level in the West and there are more and more quality teams that can be factors in June.”
