Southington Boys Volleyball Build Towards Second Half Breakout
- Dan Fappiano
- 21 hours ago
- 6 min read
For Southington High School boys volleyball head coach Lou Gianacopoulos, the key to success is managing the big and little rocks. The big rocks are your long-term overarching goals. The little rocks are the steps it takes to get there. Early in the season, the Blue Knights are focused on the latter.
Gianacopoulos knows he’ll have to be patient and that Southington’s growth will be a process. But if this year’s team can master their fundamentals - little rocks - success will follow.
“There are small rocks and there are big rocks,” Gianacopoulos said. “Big rocks are your season focal points of we’d really love to make the playoffs. These guys have to focus on so many small rocks right now that I don’t want them to get clouded with the big rocks.”
“Their small rocks are learning how to pass, arm swings for those guys that are big up at the net. Every day we focus on all those little rocks,” he continued. “I’m hoping by midseason, we can start peaking at the big rocks. Looking forward to something. Right now, it’s all about the small rocks.”
As the Blue Knights entered their regular season, Gianacopoulos was prepared to learn a lot about this year’s team. At the same time, he was planning to watch the seeds being planted for a strong Southington campaign.
“The beginning of the season is going to be our learning curve for a lot of these guys,” Gianacopoulos said. “But I am very optimistic for the second half of the season and into the playoffs. Because these guys will be developing.”
Southington’s 2026 Season Begins
Southington opened their year with a 3-0 victory over Platt, 25-13, 25-14, 25-20. But after that the Blue Knights had many of their athletes away on class trips. The boys volleyball roster featured just seven available players for their next two games.
Southington fell to Farmington 3-0, 25-11, 25-12, 25-13 and Enfield 3-0, 25-15, 25-21, 25-21. With their lack of depth – there are six players on the court at a time – the Blue Knights couldn’t play their desired brand of volleyball.
“I’m sure it was fun for the seven that were there. Because they’re like ‘I’m playing this. Whatever we do we do,’” Gianacopoulos said. “We just fell a little bit short because we didn’t have the ability to control the ball.”
Once the players returned from their school trips, Southington split their next two games. They lost to Maloney 3-1, 23-25, 25-22, 24-26, 9-25 before defeating Xavier 3-0 and falling to Hall 3-0. Now 2-4 on the season, the Blue Knights will next face Windsor (April 22) at home before traveling to face New Britain (April 24).
Southington will be looking to improve their volleyball skills every game they play. But Gianacopoulos is looking for this year’s squad to grow mentally as well.
“We’ve got to develop our chemistry,” Gianacopoulos said. “The skill will come once the chemistry is there.”
Blue Knights Build Through Basketball Players
Gianacopoulos had a smaller returning group than usual for the 2026 season with only three seniors back. He also saw an increase in the number of basketball players joining the team. For all their athleticism, the head coach knew getting this team where they needed to be was going to take maximum effort from all parties.
“You have to be very patient,” Gianacopoulos said. “These guys who come in as juniors only have the option to make the varsity team. They can’t develop at the JV level. You’ve got to change your coaching philosophy and plans for the season based upon your athletes. With these athletes, they need a lot of one-on-one training and going through the simple aspects of the skills as opposed to jumping right in and being dominant.”
Junior James Percival helped lead the charge for basketball players joining the volleyball team. After playing the previous season, and seeing how much the sport helped his vertical and dunking ability, he was keen to keep playing volleyball. He wasn’t alone in that pursuit.
Sophomore Ben Richards was on the team with Percival a year prior while juniors Mason Lombardo and Lukas Narbutaitis are new additions. Gianacopoulos is expecting all of the basketball players to make an impact.
“The basketball boys have a very strong mindset. It’s different than your typical boys volleyball mindset,” Gianacopoulos said. “They’re used to being constantly drilled and being told what they’re doing wrong. We’ll find out whether I need to incorporate more of their strong mindset coaching or positive reinforcement. I’m learning with the new guys too.”
Alongside the basketball transplants, Gianacopoulos is expecting senior outside hitter Jeremy Parent and junior libero O’Connor Furey to play pivotal roles for the Blue Knights, as will junior setter Brian Bordiere. After their starting setter transferred to Maloney, Southington turned to Bordiere. While he was thrown in the fire, Gianacopoulos believes he is ready. The Blue Knights are counting on him to be just that.
“That was a big hurdle for us,” the head coach said of losing their starting setter. “You take a quarterback off of a football team and have to learn timing and offense and defense, we had to start over. So we started all over last year. This year we’re pretty confident. We feel we had our next setter in line. You don’t have that developing year, you’re going to jump right in. Everyone has to learn his style, timing and tempo.”
Gianacopoulos has yet to name captains for the 2026 season. He wanted everyone to be together as a team first since the first week came with multiple absences. Furthermore, he wants to make the right decision, with numerous players capable of leading. Once that decision is made, Gianacopoulos is hoping those captains can develop what he would like to be a stout defense.
“We’ve got some big guys who can hit the ball high,” Gianacopoulos said. “With boys volleyball, you’re never lacking the will to hit the ball. That’s what boys really want to do. I don’t have to teach that. What will be a highlight this season is if I can get the boys to buy into defense. A great defense builds on a stronger offense. Our goals are going to be having a more defensive mindset than offensive mindset.”
The 2026 Southington High School boys volleyball roster features seniors: Evan Lebo, Jeremy Parent and Garrett Thompson; juniors: O’Connor Furey, James Percival, Brian Bordiere, Mason Lombardo, Lukas Narbutaitis, Teo Jacome and Chase Smyecko; alongside sophomores: Hunter Strileckis, Carter Smith and Ben Richards. Gianacopoulos is joined by assistant coaches Timothy Casey and Adam Hunter.
Bracing For a Second Half Breakout
Early in the season, the Blue Knights are still setting the foundation of their 2026 campaign. The focus remains on simply learning everything about the sport of volleyball that they can. After each practice and game, Gianacopoulos is hopeful to see his team’s confidence level rise as well.
“First, they’re focusing so much on the skill. They’re learning, they’ve never played this before,” Gianacopoulos said. “Any elite athlete who has been playing basketball or baseball or any of the major sports their entire lives, when they come to this sport, their interest gets triggered. They really feel like they’re learning and they’re starting over. They know they’re struggling, but they’re elite enough to understand that once they get through the process, they’re going to be able to produce and participate when the postseason comes.”
“Right now, we’re just waiting for these new guys to feel the confidence going into the second half of the season,” he continued. “They won’t have it now, because they’re just so behind. But they’re growing and learning each day.”
He acknowledges that there are going to be hurdles along the way. Southington plays in the vaunted Central Connecticut Conference. Furthermore, many athletes aren’t competing year round like some of their competitors.
But Gianacopoulos, and the Blue Knights, are used to that hardship. He says that his teams always find themselves in a tricky situation at some point throughout the season. To get out of their predicament, Southington must be prepared to outwork any opponent in front of them.
“I’m always the team that’s going to struggle,” Gianacopoulos said, “whether I have the best players in the world or not. It’s hard for me to say we’re going to dominate on offense or defense. We’ve got to work harder, we’re not as good as everyone else. The kids know they have to work harder and harder.”
For this year’s team and the Blue Knights of the future, the head coach doesn’t want that hard work to be a deterrent. Especially at the beginning, everyone is on the same level when it comes to their volleyball skill. Trying something new can be an intimidating task. The Southington High School boys volleyball team is trying to prove why it’s worth a shot.
“We’re unlike anything else in this school,” the head coach said. “You should expect to be excited about learning something new. As a freshman, you should know that no one else has any experience playing the sport of volleyball in high school. Don’t be intimidated in regards to not knowing anything – everything is coached and taught. Don’t deter yourself from trying out because you think you may not know the sport or haven’t tried the sport before.”
