Baldwin went from being unranked in Class 3A boys volleyball to No. 5 in a recent vote by the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association.
North Allegheny remained at the top in 3A, and Seneca Valley held on to No. 2, with Butler (No. 3) and Pine-Richland (No. 4) trading places in the rankings.
Baldwin soared into the rankings after a week which saw it defeat previous No. 5 Upper St. Clair, 3-0, in a Section 1 match in late-March then edged No. 7 Mt. Lebanon, 3-2, a few days later.
“The team put in a lot of time, energy and commitment during the offseason and preseason conditioning to be the best team possible with the personnel we have,” Baldwin coach Milan Yekich said. “We had high expectations and goals from the start, having all but one starter returning from last season.
“We already had good chemistry; we continue to correct and fix our mistakes to become an even stronger team as the season progresses.”
Yekich utilizes as many as 11 athletes during a match: 6-foot-2 senior outside hitters Alex Kelly and Dylan Leonhardt; 6-3 senior Austin Kruszewski, 6-4 sophomore Killian Susan and 6-2 sophomore Christian Jones at middle hitter; 6-3 senior right-side hitter Brayden Gremba; 6-0 sophomore Rohan Gurung and 5-9 junior Ayush Rai at the setter position; junior libero Martino Suta; and 5-8 Karan Bhujel and 5-2 Biswas Mongar, both defensive specialists.
Kruszewski, Gremba and Kelly have been lauded as Class 3A players of the week by WPVCA this season.
“Austin has had an incredible start to the season,” Yekich said. “He is our most impactful player on offense or defense. After playing club during the offseason, his skills have accelerated — his talent and skill shutting down the other team’s attackers, putting up a wall for a block, as well as becoming our best offensive threat.
“He leads the team in blocks and has the highest kill percentage. He deserved to be on that list two weeks in a row. If I could, I’d have all of our starters on the list every week. Each one of them has elevated his game every week, outperforming our opponents.”
Baldwin opened the second half of the season with a 4-0 section record and 6-2 overall. The Highlanders won the 11-team Upper St. Clair tournament April 11, beating North Hills, 25-22, in the gold bracket championship round.
After finishing 5-1 in pool play, Baldwin defeated Upper St. Clair, 25-23, in the quarterfinals, and Hopewell, 25-21, in the semifinals.
“Our team’s biggest strength right now is serve-receive,” Yekich said, “as well as our defensive abilities. So far, we believe we are the best passing team within our section, which helps not only set up offensive plays but makes it frustrating for other teams trying to put the ball away.
“We always have solid attackers that can put the ball away consistently. It also helps having five starters 6-feet-2 or taller when attacking the ball and setting up the block. Baldwin has been lacking significant height in recent years.”
Kelly is one of the team leaders again this season as a fourth-year varsity starter.
“Alex is our go-to outside hitter,” Yekich said. “He is very coachable, always eager to learn from his errors and mistakes, and receptive to feedback to make those corrections.
“He is a true competitor. He challenges himself to make the plays when it’s needed but also carries the weight of any error that he makes during that journey. From the end of last year to now, his vertical had increased immensely, allowing him to hit over most of not all of the blockers that challenge him. He is able to control the placement of his shots, allowing for him to pick apart the opponent.”
The Highlanders jumped ahead of the teams ranked sixth through 10th in Week 4 of the WPVCA rankings: Norwin, Mt. Lebanon, Hempfield, Penn-Trafford and USC.
“The second half of the season is expected to be tough, but manageable,” Yekich said. “A target will be on our backs, especially the longer we are atop our section. But I believe we have the experience and mental toughness to continue our success in the second half similar to the first half.”