Waltham/Weston boys volleyball team sees remarkable improvement in 2025

Waltham/Weston head boys volleyball coach Evan Omi knew going into the spring that his team would turn it around after a 1-15 record in 2024.

Staging as large a turnaround as the team achieved, however, may have seemed somewhat far-fetched. 

The Hawks blew last year’s performance out of the water as they notched an MIAA Division 1 playoff berth with a 9-7 record.

“I would definitely say this season was successful,” Omi said.

The team achieved some considerable milestones along the way. This included notching the first Dual County League win in program history. The postseason nod was also the first time the team has accomplished the goal of playing past the regular season. Unsurprisingly, Omi earned DCL Coach of the Year honors.

“We had a lot of people who were dedicated to getting better this year,” said Omi. “This team was willing to put in the work.”

Offensively, the Hawks were guided by Baylor Mandell. Just a freshman, Mandell will be a key cog for the team for the next few years. Defensively, senior Paul Shin was a spark plug with 4.4 digs per set.

“Paul was able to keep us in the game and give us more opportunities to score,” Omi said.

The run came to an end at the hands of a tough Andover High School team in the first round of the tournament. However, Waltham was still able to push its opponent to five sets, and the team left the floor feeling pretty good about themselves overall.

“It may have been too nice to make the playoffs and keep on winning in the first year making it,” Omi said.

Moving forward, the Hawks will look to build on this performance and make it further in the 2026 playoffs. One key part of that will be the players keeping their skills sharp in the summer.

“I am looking for the players to get as many touches on the ball as possible,” Omi said. “I really recommended playing grass volleyball. That is the best way you can get better because you are always involved in the play somehow when there are only two people on the court instead of six people. For some boys on the team, club volleyball would be a great idea. Anything that will keep our team in shape will be helpful.”