Cape boys’ volleyball outduels Royals 3-0
The Cape boys’ volleyball squad took an opening day 25-8, 25-12, 25-22 victory over the Royals March 24 at Delmarva Christian.
Senior Lawson Whaley led the Vikings with 11 kills and two digs. Jason Harpel-Rickards put up 28 assists and served two aces. Senior Ryder Van Horn knocked down eight kills. Senior Braxton Figgs pounded seven kills and roofed two blocks.
“The first two sets are what we should look like all the time,” said Figgs. “Minimal errors with a lot of diversity in our attacks makes us hard to beat. The third set showed us we have a lot of room to grow still and the season is young. It was a great first match, and I'm stoked for what this season has in store.”
“I’m definitely proud of the team,” said Van Horn. “Obviously the third set wasn’t nearly as clean, but the first two looked great. I thought we had good passing and hitting. It was a good start for the season.”
“It was a nice first match,” said Cape coach Tyler Coupe. “We’re in a unique situation where we brought back some good players who had reps last year. Those that are stepping in aren’t really new to the sport. We have the ability to be a physical team. We have nice size; we have some strength. I think our in rally communication needs some work. It’s something we can control. The few errors we had tonight I liked. They had the proper intentions with it. Making errors with the good intentions [is something] I can live with.”
“It’s a tough outing,” said Royals first-year coach Ryan Kaufmann. “It’s our first real scrimmage or match. We haven’t had any matches or scrimmages this year. It’s hard when you don’t play competition before the season starts. We have to tighten up our defense.”
The Royals travel to MOT Charter Friday, March 27, while the Vikings are in Austin, Texas, to play in a tournament at the Austin Sports Center. They return to play Aspira High School Thursday, April 2, at home.
Dan has worked for the Cape Gazette for more than 30 years as a photographer and reporter, covering high school sports and happenings around eastern Sussex County. He won a photography award from the National Newspaper Association, and numerous awards from the Maryland, Delaware, D.C. Press Association. A Delaware native, Dan graduated from Cape in 1972 and returned as a teacher and coach in the 1980s. He retired from the classroom in 2016. He was inducted into Cape High’s Legends Stadium in 2016. In his spare time, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife, two sons, grandchildren and dogs.
