The journey to a volleyball state championship is long and arduous, with lots of practice and hard-fought matches during the season, followed by win or go home playoffs.
Williamstown High School girls volleyball Coach Chris Sheppard has made the journey six times, including in November, when his team defeated Westfield in straight sets to take the 2024 NJSIAA Group 4 State Championship.
The Braves gathered again in the township hall on Jan. 23 and got a certificate of recognition for their championship from Monroe council President Don Heverly. It read: “Congratulations to Coach Sheppard and every member of the team for your hard work and dedication.”
“This was our sixth state championship,” reflected Sheppard, who has been the only coach since the volleyball program began 27 years ago. “Our first came back in 2006, then we won in 2010, 2012, 2019, and 2021 – when we went 37-0 and won the Tournament of Champions, which has since been stopped. We lost in the state semifinal game in 2022 and we were a state finalist in 2015.”
The volleyball program is a tribute to Sheppard; assistant coaches Rob Cooper, Eddie Rossiter and Kierstyn Koutsogiannis; athletic director Dean Insana and his secretary, Sandy Esposito; and the players who’ve performed so well over the years.
“I’ve been incredibly fortunate with the student athletes that I have coached over my 27-year career,” Sheppard noted. “The vast majority of my athletes have been high-achieving, honor-roll-caliber students. They push themselves to do well in the classroom in addition to being outstanding community members.
“Many receive praise and recognition for being involved in other clubs and activities at the school and in town,” the coach continued. “We have had a rare few come through with spotty discipline histories, but the culture of our locker room has had a positive effect on those athletes and has helped guide them on the path to success.
“It really has been amazing for me to be surrounded with so many fantastic players and athletes over the years.”
Sheppard had 10 players with varsity-level experience from the 2023 team, which had just two seniors, Dajah Williams and Kara Gaskins. The 2024 players who won the program its sixth state championship and finished the season with a 32-1 record included senior captains Gabby Bottino, Cassie Guim, Callie Kozeniewski and Gabby Titus; seniors Isabelle Barnes, Olivia Deletto, Isabella Dunkley, Meghan McGough and Adriana Ventura; juniors Sabrina Aslanian, Addilynn Belcher, Ava Carabin, Stella Eberly and Lora Kunicki; sophomore Peyton Wright; and freshman Khloe Lynch.
“A large percentage of our players have been playing volleyball for a number of years,” Sheppard said. “We play one of the toughest, if not the toughest, schedule in the state. That makes it very difficult to only have one loss, but it also greatly prepares us for the playoff run each season.
“In the final stages of the playoffs,” he added, “we played teams that we had not only played this year, but for the past several years. So our team was not nervous when we played Southern Regional in the sectional final, or when we played Old Bridge in the state semifinals or Westfield in the state championship.”
As for teaching the players fundamentals and the importance of teamwork, Sheppard praised his assistant coaches.
“Coach Cooper played for me when I coached the boys team back in the early 2000s,and has been my assistant coach with the girls since 2006, when we won our first state championship,” Sheppard recalled. “Coach Rossiter came on as a volunteer during the 2023 season and brings a vast wealth of knowledge from the dozen years that he was an assistant coach at Immaculate Heart Academy (in Washington Township), generally regarded as the top team in the state over the last two decades.
“We start each practice with skill and position work and gradually work into detailed 6 vs. 6 work,” Sheppard explained. “By the time our players have reached the varsity level, their practice is a little more tailored for the skills that they’ll have to perform during a game.”
