The Cape Henlopen boys’ volleyball team will rely on senior leadership as it looks to return to the state tournament in 2026. The seniors were freshmen when the Vikings powered past Salesianum 3-0 to capture the 2023 state title, and the Class of 2026 still remembers the feeling of watching that title victory.

Cape’s 2025 season ended with a 3-0 loss to the Sals in the second round of the DIAA tournament. The Vikings return five seniors from that team; they are Blake Fitzgerald, Jason Harpel-Rickards, Braxton Figgs, Lawson Whaley and Ryder Van Horn. The group is confident about this season’s chances.

“So far, I’m extremely surprised by the potential I’ve seen from our varsity just in these first two days of play, especially with how much we’ve improved,” said Van Horn. “The experience of our players is a huge part of the success I think we can have this year, as all of our starters have three to four years of experience. But for the tournament, we have to trust our team dynamic. It often fell apart last year, which led to us falling out of the playoffs earlier than expected. Making sure our team chemistry and attitudes are where they need to be will be a big part of this year’s success.”

“I think if we continue to improve, we have the ability to compete for a title,” said Figgs. “However, we need to take the season game by game. We did well in our play day, so I’m excited to see what’s in store.”

The Vikings hosted Salesianum March 13, and then Appoquinimink, Caesar Rodney and Newark Charter March 14, giving Cape an opportunity to gain game experience against some of the top teams in the state.

“I’m happy with these two days of play,” said Cape coach Tyler Coupe. “Against Sallies Friday night, we ran three different rotations to get our returning guys into positions they are both comfortable and uncomfortable with to see if there could be a unique combination that excels and gels best. After Saturday’s play, I think we have a better idea of where our strengths are in terms of positioning.”

Coupe was particularly pleased with the team’s block defense.

“I think Blake [Fitzgerald] and Braxton [Figgs] did a good job setting the tone consistently from the middle for us,” he said. “Junior libero Jake Panyko showed huge improvement in his serve receive. Lawson [Whaley] and Ryder [Van Horn] are both in new positions from where they played last year, and each has great range. Lawson brings natural power, while Ryder has such an explosive approach for an undersized player. Senior setter Jason [Harpel-Rickards] was steady all day.”

Coupe also praised the team’s service pressure.

“I think adding a little more tempo to our offense over the next two weeks will really help us,” he said. “It was also good to get Cruz [Vent] some live reps. He’s really the primary returner who didn’t have much varsity experience last year. He has good size and hand contact, and just needs to continue getting comfortable with live play.”

The Vikings have also added several first-year players who could provide depth off the bench. Kingston Davis, Austin Tyndall, Anton Schierenberg, Dante Robinson and Quinn Risse were eased into action to gain experience without overwhelming them with the speed of the game. All five are just 12 days into learning the sport.

Cape opens its regular season Tuesday, March 24, at Delmarva Christian.