Palm Beach County volleyball is off to a hot start, and it's not just the usual contenders making noise.
As of Wednesday, six undefeated teams remained in the county. Among them is Berean Christian, a program that has emerged as one of the area's biggest early-season surprises.
The Bulldogs (6-0) have risen sharply in the local rankings, with four of their victories coming against teams with records of .500 or better. It's the type of early-season test that head coach Doug Walters believes can help prepare the program for its biggest goals.
Berean Christian embracing a tougher path
Berean Christian enjoyed plenty of success under former coach Sam Skelton, but Walters believes the Bulldogs are ready to take the next step.
The athletic
director returned to his volleyball coaching roots this season after previous stops at the high school and college levels in Ohio, as well as Palm Beach Atlantic. His goal is to help the Bulldogs break through and contend for the first district championship in program history.
Part of that process is learning how to compete against stronger opponents, a challenge Berean Christian faced immediately in its season opener against Jupiter Christian.
"To be honest, the girls were pretty scared about that when they first saw that on the schedule," Walters said. "I'm like, 'You can play those kinds of teams.'"
The Bulldogs have also benefited from several key roster adjustments.
"We've had a couple of changes to the roster this year that have been a blessing for us," Walters said. "One player moved from middle hitter to outside hitter, and that change has been huge for us. And we had a libero, Sarah Bockisch, move down here from the Tampa area, and she has been a huge addition to the team."
While Berean Christian has posted winning records in recent seasons, those successes have not translated into deep postseason runs. Walters hopes a more challenging schedule and a stronger mindset can help change that.
During his coaching career in Ohio, Walters helped turn a struggling program into a state contender within five years. He believes the Bulldogs have the potential to follow a similar path.
"I told the girls, 'We've got a lot of empty banners up there,'" Walters said. "We want to put some numbers up there for volleyball because I think we've got the potential to do that."
With a 6-0 start and growing confidence against quality competition, the Bulldogs believe those empty banners may not stay empty for long.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Undefeated Berean Christian chasing first district volleyball title
