Entering the City League championship match, the Obama Academy boys volleyball team prepared to face Allderdice, which had not lost a set to City League foes in two years.
While Allderdice emerged victorious, Class 2A Obama Academy pushed its Class 3A rival to five sets, remaining determined until the final point.
“We played pretty well in the City. Our only losses were to Allderdice, who had an excellent team this year,” Obama Academy boys volleyball coach Peter Vitti said. “We took Allderdice to five sets in the City championship, one of the best City championships I’ve ever been a part of.”
Obama Academy caught Allderdice off guard in the first set, upsetting the Dragons to grab the early one-set lead.
“Dice wasn’t expecting anything. They brought out their B lineup; they had their backups, their best hitter playing setter, because their actual setter is injured right now,” Obama Academy junior setter Yik Hoi Low said. “And so we just took it to them. We showed that they had to play us at their best in order to actually win this thing, and that first set really showed that we were there to play.”
Allderdice rallied to take the next two sets, but Obama Academy maintained its composure, coming back to win the fourth set and extend the match to five.
“It’s extremely significant because we’ve lost the last two championships. Allderdice has won the last two, so my guys want to get it back. And oftentimes, it’s Allderdice versus Obama, so there’s a pretty heated rivalry between those two schools,” Vitti said. “But it’s a very healthy rivalry, too, because our guys all live in the city, and they’ll play like pickup ball at Frick Park together, the Allderdice kids and the Obama kids, so there’s familiarity there. … We never like losing to Allderdice.”
Vitti stressed that the rigorous schedule the Eagles played in scrimmages and tournaments was crucial to their success this season.
Obama Academy played in a five-team scrimmage at Fox Chapel and also began the season there in a tournament. Vitti emphasized that the Eagles competed at the Fox Chapel tournament and tournaments at Norwin and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, playing against playoff-caliber competition.
“I think this season’s a testament to how far the team has come, especially since the start,” Low said. “Like, our first tournament, we did not do that hot, but we’ve built to the point where we can compete with Dice, we can make it to states, right? And I think this is a good starting point for next year, where we’re just going to build on this. We have, except for our two middles, a bunch of juniors coming back. We’re going to build on it. We’re gonna create a better team, hopefully make a deep run next year.”
Obama’s season ended at the home of the Shaler Titans, winners of four consecutive WPIAL championships, in the first round of the PIAA Class 2A tournament.
“We’ve seen some of the top teams in Western Pennsylvania, but I’m going to be honest, we didn’t see any team as good as Shaler at this level. … They’re just so solid in every phase of the game,” Vitti said. “I don’t think we saw a team that made that few mistakes and was that competitive.”
Nevertheless, the Eagles kept their heads up and stayed confident in each other throughout their 3-0 loss, finding some positive moments to take from the match, like Low’s play, for example.
Low was one of the welcomed additions to the young and often inexperienced Obama Academy team. Though it was his first year playing volleyball at the varsity level, like several other players, Low found a home at setter and got to work.
“The beginning of the season, I wasn’t as confident, because, first year, I wasn’t really sure exactly what I was doing. But if you look at my other sports, like soccer — I play center back for Obama for soccer — I’m always one of those vocal players,” Low said. “So, I’ve tried to become a leader that we need on the court, and especially in the Dice game, bring more energy that we need.
“I feel like no matter what I do, I want to try and help the team as much as possible, which is also why I ended up as a setter, because we needed a setter and I had pretty decent hands, so we decided to commit to it.”
With a more experienced core returning, Obama Academy is excited to strive for more wins and try to put it all together to surprise people next spring.
“One of the most coachable teams I’ve ever coached, and I’ve been coaching since ’95; I’ve been a head coach for 31 years,” Vitti said. “Awesome group of kids who love the game, who show up to every practice. I never have to worry about kids missing practice. They work hard, they listen and they’re great teammates. There’s never any drama; there’s no infighting. They all support each other, winning or losing.”