Following the best season in program history (7-5 overall record and an appearance in the quarterfinals of the 2010-11 POVL playoffs), the Waynesburg University men's volleyball team looks to build off of that success in 2011-12.
 
One of the reasons for that success was due to senior setter Jake Buss, who has since graduated. He was a four-year starter for the program and his leadership will be tough to replace.
 
“I am the only player currently here to be with Jake all four years,” said senior right-side hitter Jesse Famularo. “He meant a lot to the team and his talent and leadership will be missed greatly. Though he was a main piece to this team, my expectations for this season have not changed at all.”
 
Although the Jackets lost a big part of their team, they still have a lot of experience returning, including Jake Reynolds, Jesse Famularo, Joel Wingard, Nikolai Wojceichowski, Clayton Reiber, Estaban Saldi and Christopher Fillippi.
 
With a strong returning core leading the way, the team's new additions have been introduced to a busy pre-season schedule that the veterans have become quite used to, which includes competing in a Brownson House league in Washington, Pa., 10-plus matches with the inmates at SCI-Greene and a tournament early in October at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), which included matches against Clarion, IUP and Slippery Rock in pool play. After finishing second in the pool, the Jackets fell to IUP in the elimination round, giving them a fifth-place showing out of 12 teams.
 
The Jackets will begin regular season play in January against some tough competition, that includes defending POVL Champion West Virginia University, Duquesne, Robert Morris, Carnegie Mellon and St. Vincent.