No matter the sport, almost any player or coach would be happy with a 12-2 record.
For the young men on the Cocalico boys volleyball team and Coach Dwayne Kieffer (photo below), that was the result from last season, and it was good – but they want to go a little farther in 2026.
“I think the biggest takeaway I can take from last year is just trying to get further in the playoffs this year,” said Anthony Cruz-Amaro (left), a senior libero whom his coach says “dominates the backcourt.”
Adds Cruz-Amaro, “We have 10 seniors this year, so we’re trying to go further – we’re always hungry for more.”
Kieffer leads what he calls “a very special group,” a veteran squad that has played together for four years.
Having watched Section 2 rival Manheim Central win its first-ever state title last year, Cocalico is aiming for a deep playoff run this year, Kieffer says.
The 11th-year coach says, “We’re hoping to take it a little further. We got knocked out in the first round of the districts last year, and we’re hoping to improve on that.”
Having a senior-led team that has played together helps in a sport where “you have to be athletic, but it is also a very mentally challenging sport – it’s almost like a chess match.
“You have to study and see what the setter is doing, what the hitters are doing, and adapt to what they’re doing – almost figure out what their move’s going to be before they make that move," Kieffer says.
“I always tell my guys when they come in as JV (players), ‘It is a sport that you will not learn in one or two years' – it takes several years, because of that court presence, knowing how to read that other team and what they’re planning on doing.”
Kieffer also is looking forward to having Section 2 all-star Reilly Stark (right), an outside hitter, back for his senior year in 2026. The coach calls him “untouchable” out on the floor.
(March 15, 2026)
