The volleyball season was a spiking success for the Port City Royals boys and girls varsity teams.

Both advanced to the playoff finals, where the Royals’ boys fell to Baldwinsville and the Royals’ girls lost to Cortland. The championship matches were held at Fairgrieve Elementary School in Fulton.

The Royals are comprised of home-schooled athletes from throughout the region. Players are from Oswego, Hannibal, Fulton, and other surrounding areas. They compete against teams in the Empire Christian Athletic League (ESCAL).

The other teams are from Christian schools. Volleyball matches were the best-of-five, with rally scoring in games to 25. If a fifth game was needed, it went up to 15.

The boys team, coached by Joel Wood, includes Aaron Kepple, Marcus Berkley, Michael Flickinger, Jordan Wood, Kyle Smith, Matthew Edmondson, Michael Vera, Ryan Chartrand, Russell Hixon, Jacob Chartrand, and Patrick Murray.

The girls team is coached by Katie Packard and Della Wood. Players are Jillian O’Brien, Carina Berkley, Anna Laurion, Jordana O’Brien, Amy Laurion, Grace Kepple, Jennifer Blake, Rebekah Murray, Katherine Murray, Jackie O’Brien, Elizabeth Vera, Leah Kepple, Jodi Kester, and Emily Chartrand.

The Royals’ boys finished 6-2 in the regular season, good for second place. They defeated third-place Penn Yan in the semifinals before bowing to Baldwinsville.

The Port City girls team won the regular-season title with an 8-0 record and beat Penn Yan in the semifinals before squaring off against Cortland in the title match.

“We’ve got quite a few players who have been playing for four years,” Joel Wood said of the boys’ team. “They’ve all improved tremendously. They’ve really put an emphasis on teamwork. They complement each other, and they have good chemistry.”

“They’ve come so far in so little time,” Packard said of the girls’ team.

After the playoffs, nine Port City Royals players were chosen to participate in the All-Star Game in Fulton.

Amy Laurion, Jordanna O’Brien, Jake Chartrand, and Ryan Chartrand earned all-league honors, and Jake Chartrand, a senior, was named MVP of the boys league.

Both of the Royals’ teams practiced two nights a week at Fair Haven Baptist Church, which was also the site of their home games.

The Royals’ coaches praised not only the athletes, but their parents for their enthusiastic support. Not only did the parents take the players to practices, but they provided vocal encouragement at the matches.

“We pack the gym with our parents,” Joel Wood said.

“I know if we didn’t have the support of the parents, this couldn’t happen,” Packard said.

Packard said the girls’ team made rapid progress adjusting to a new system which resulted in a greater hitting attack and more victories. Last year, the Royals reached the finals, and it spurred them to even greater heights this year,  taking the regular-season crown.

Victories on the court are nice, but the coaches agreed that the other aspects of varsity participation are perhaps more important. The character, teamwork, and sportsmanship displayed made everyone proud.

The Royals’ teams are sponsored by the Lake Effect Homeschool Association. They are open to any homeschooling student. Interested families may call John O’Brien at 315-342-0302 for information, or e-mail to jobrienosw@aol.com.