The Baldwin boys volleyball team have enjoyed the ride in 2026.
Baldwin doggedly rose through the ranks to win the Section 1-3A championship, going from unranked status in its division to No. 5 in a vote by the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association.
Baldwin soared into the rankings by defeating No. 5 Upper St. Clair, 3-0, then edging No. 7 Mt. Lebanon, 3-2, a few days later.
The Highlanders ended the regular season 9-1 in section play, 13-3 overall and with the fourth seed for the playoffs. It marked the first time in 20 years that Baldwin reigned as section champion.
“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,” 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 continued to correct and fix our mistakes to become an even stronger team as the season progressed.”
Seven Baldwin players were named all-section led by three senior first-team honorees: Alex Kelly, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, Brayden Gremba, a 6-3 right-side hitter, and Austin Kruszewski, a 6-3 middle hitter.
“I am very proud of my team,” Kelly said. “We all rely on each other’s game to do what is needed to win.”
Dylan Leonardt, a senior outside hitter, and junior libero Martino Suta were chosen to the second team in the section. A pair of setters, junior Ayush Rai and sophomore Rohan Gurung, landed third-team status.
Others in the Highlanders’ regular rotation this spring included sophomore middle hitters Killian Susan and Christian Jones; freshman Karan Bhujel and sophomore Biswas Mongar, both defensive specialists.
Kruszewski, Gremba and Kelly were lauded as Class 3A players of the week by the WPVCA early in the season.
“The team was resilient through the good and bad,” Yekich said. “Some matches challenged us, but we always found a way to be successful. Our definition of success was to either win a match or learn from what went wrong after a loss and fix it and apply it to the remaining games.
“We knew at the start of the season we would be a competitor not only in our section but outside of it, as well. We had no expectations of how we would finish record-wise, but had the simple philosophy of ‘Play, have fun, and win.’ And all three of those things happened. We weathered the storm when faced with adversity and took care of business when it mattered.”
Baldwin opened the second half of its schedule with a 4-0 section record, 6-2 overall. The Highlanders won the 11-team Upper St. Clair tournament in mid-April, beating North Hills, 25-22, in the gold bracket championship round.
After finishing 5-1 in pool play, Baldwin clipped Upper St. Clair, 25-23, in the quarterfinals, and Hopewell, 25-21, in the semifinals.
“Going into a tournament, a coach has many different approaches,” Yekich said. “Win, play guys that typically don’t play to get them playing time or experiment with new lineups. We had no intention of winning any of the tournaments we participated in this season. So winning the Upper St. Clair tournament was a nice surprise.
“Our other accomplishments were winning our section and breaking a 20-year drought, nearly going undefeated in our section after going 4-6 last season, and lastly, making it to the final four in the WPIAL playoffs, which hasn’t been accomplished (at Baldwin) since 2006.”
Chris Kelly, who coaches the Peters Township girls volleyball team, serves as an assistant in the Baldwin boys volleyball program. One of the players on the Baldwin team was his son, Alex, one of the team leaders again this season as a fourth-year varsity starter.
“My dad has been coaching for a very long time and has lots of success,” Alex said. “It’s a very normal thing for me. He has been my coach for club and high school since I’ve been playing volleyball. He has lots of experience so I know I can always count on him for advice.”
Kelly was described by Yekich as the Highlanders’ most impactful player on offense or defense.
“Alex was 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.”
Kelly led the team in kills and attacks this season. Other stat leaders included Kruszewski (blocks), Rai (assists), Suta (digs) and Leonardt (aces). Rai ranked second in aces.
Gremba rated second-best on the squad in kills, attacks, blocks and digs and finished third in aces.
Baldwin won its first two matches in the WPIAL playoffs, blanking No. 13 Gateway, 3-0, in the first round and edging No. 12 Mt. Lebanon, 3-2, in the quarterfinals. The Highlanders lost a 3-0 decision May 18 to No. 1 North Allegheny in the semifinal round.
“We always have had solid attackers that can put the ball away consistently,” Yekich said. “It 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.
“It’s all been exciting rewriting Baldwin volleyball history (in 2026) and finally getting the recognition these guys have earned after years of sticking it out through the tough seasons we’ve had in recent years.”
Baldwin and third-seeded Seneca Valley were set to clash May 20 at Moon in the WPIAL third-place match. The top three finishers in 3A qualified for the PIAA tournament.