Meet the 2023 Coaches' All-Western New York boys volleyball first team
The 2023 Coaches' All-Western New York boys volleyball first team is selected by the region's coaches and is led by Player of the Year Ben Walczak of Clarence.
Coaches' All-Western New York first team, from left to right: West Seneca West's Kieran Eagen; Orchard Park's Drew Bowman, Brady Bowman and Evan Hernandez; Clarence's Ben Walczak (Player of the Year) and Rocco Lucci; St. Joe's head coach Mark Anzalone (Coach of the Year), St. Joe's Matthew Anzalone; West Seneca West's Ethan Skalski, Eden's Tyler Schunk; and Frontier's Michael Bleech.
Player of the Year, Benjamin Walczak, 12, Clarence, outside hitter: After being named to the All-WNY second team as a junior, Walczak’s offseason improvement helped him leap to Player of the Year. Led Clarence to the Section VI Division I championship and with 505 kills, 53 blocks and 35 aces. Favorite match was the Section VI final, in which the Red Devils lost the first two sets and came back to win three straight against Orchard Park.
Walczak, cont'd ... At the Clarence, East Aurora and Eden tournaments, he was named to the all-tournament teams and was MVP of the Grand Island tournament. Had 28 kills in four-set loss to Fairport in Far West Regional.
FIRST TEAM, Matt Anzalone, 11, St. Joseph’s, outside hitter: Set school single-season record for kills with 389, and recorded 169 digs, 43 aces and 33 blocks. Helped Marauders end Canisius’ 23-year Monsignor Martin championship streak with 10 kills and five digs in final. Named Monsignor Martin Player of the Year and to All-Catholic first team.
Michael Bleech, 12, Frontier, outside hitter: After making All-WNY second team last season, Bleech makes the first team, finishing his senior season with 258 kills, 130 digs and 46 aces. After leading the Falcons to a third-place finish, Bleech was named to the Penfield Tournament All-Tournament team. Said he wants to thank the upperclassmen from his sophomore year for inspiring him to play volleyball and pushing him to become a better player.
Brady Bowman, 12, Orchard Park, outside hitter: Two-time sectional champion ended the season with 310 kills, 77 digs, 23 aces and 21 blocks. Led Orchard Park to the Section VI Division I final. Favorite matches were regular-season victories against Clarence and Spencerport, and beating Frontier in the sectional semifinals. Made all-tournament teams at Eden and OP tournaments.
Kieran Eagen, 12, West Seneca West, outside hitter: Warhawks were one of the most improved teams in the area, going from 3-15 in 2022 to 17-4 in 2023. The 14-win improvement propelled them to Section VI Division II championship and Far West Regional. Had 14 kills, including seven in the second set, and 10 digs in 2A final victory against Hamburg. Finished the season with 257 kills.
Tyler Schunk, 11, Eden, outside hitter: Two-year varsity player had multiple games with at least 20 kills. Said his favorite win was beating EastAurora/Holland in the Section VI Division 2B final because the Raiders had lost to them twice during the regular season. Began playing volleyball as an eighth grader.
Ethan Skalski, 11, West Seneca East, outside hitter: Finished the season with 408 kills, 106 digs, 71 aces and 17 blocks. Set the program record for single-season kills and is program’s leader in career kills with 716. Set the program record for most kills in a game with 40. Led the Trojans to a Division II championship and has been a starter since his freshman year. Said he likes playing volleyball because he’s on the court with his friends. Named ECIC III sportsmanship winner.
Drew Bowman, 12, Orchard Park, setter: Finished season with 541 assists and has more than 1,000 for his career, ranking him 13th all-time in Orchard Park history. Beating Clarence during the regular season was his favorite moment because Bowman had the game-winning block. Won two sectional titles with the Quakers and has played volleyball since the seventh grade. Continued Bowman brother tradition at OP, playing with Brady. Older brother Connor is former OP volleyball player who plays baseball at D'Youville.
Evan Hernandez, 12, Orchard Park, setter: Helped Quakers to two sectional titles and three ECIC I titles during his career. Lone returning All-WNY first-team selection from last season had 240 kills, 152 digs, 68 assists, 50 aces and 47 blocks this season. Left his mark on the program, ranking eighth all-time in digs, 15th in kills and 25th in assists. He’s a two-time All-WNY first-team selection and enjoyed playing for Rick Albano, whom he calls “the best coach in WNY."
Rocco Lucci, 11, Clarence, setter: Named to all-tournament teams at the Clarence, East Aurora, North Tonawanda and Eden tournaments. Helped Red Devils win North Tonawanda tournament. Finished with 232 assists, 110 digs, 98 kills, 28 aces and 27 blocks. Favorite moment was beating Orchard Park in the Division I final after being down 0-2 and losing twice to the Quakers during the regular season. Aiming for Red Devils to make another sectional title run next season as a senior.
Coach of the Year, Mark Anzalone, St. Joseph's: Marauders' coach since 2005 led team to first Monsignor Martin title in 25 years by ending Canisius' streak of 23 consecutive championships. Only other title came in 1998. Game scores in the final were 25-22, 25-21, 25-18. “We’ve had some very, very good teams over the years,” he said after the victory. “I’m just so proud of the guys and I’m happy for them. It was fantastic for the kids to win and even better for them to win and have their friends there to see it.” St. Joe's finished 13-5. (St. Joe's players are shown celebrating against Canisius in the final.)
Clevis Murray
Sports Reporter
Joseph Cooke
Photographer
Here are the top volleyball players in Western New York, selected by area coaches.