Here are the 2023 Taunton Daily Gazette Boys Volleyball All-Scholastics
TAUNTON— Another high school boys volleyball season has come and gone in the Greater Taunton area.
After a rebuilding year and missing out on the tournament in 2022, Taunton (11-10) had a solid spring and returned to the postseason, falling to No. 12 Haverhill in the Division I preliminary round while Dighton-Rehoboth (7-12) had some solid showings.
With the spring season now in the rearview, here's a final look back at the Greater Taunton area boys volleyball athletes who stood out among the crowd to earn their spot as 2023 Taunton Daily Gazette Boys Volleyball All-Scholastics.
Player of the Year
Matthew Freitas, Taunton
The senior outside hitter wrapped up his impressive high school volleyball career with another strong spring, recording 207 kills, 123 digs and 27 aces. Coach Toby Chaperon praised him as a six-way player capable of scoring points whenever the Tigers needed as one of the top outside hitters in the area. Some of his most notable performances this spring include 26 kills and 10 digs against Barnstable, 21 kills, 13 digs and four aces against Brockton and 20 kills and 14 digs against Durfee.
Freitas was also named the 2022 Taunton Daily Gazette Boys Volleyball Player of the Year and his leadership and abilities will certainly be missed next year as he continues his academic and athletic career at Boston University, where he'll be part of the club volleyball team.
First Team All-Scholastics
Antonios Dimakis, Taunton
The senior opposite hitter wrapped up his high school volleyball with another solid season for the Tigers, recording 58 kills, 29 blocks and 24 digs while being lined up against the opposition's top outside hitter. Praised by Chaperon for his positive energy and timely kills and blocks, some of his most notable performances this spring include eight kills, five digs and two blocks against Durfee, seven kills, four blocks and three digs against King Philip and six kills, five blocks and two digs against North Quincy.
One of two five year players on Taunton, his abilities and experience will be missed by the Tigers next year.
Ty Ekstrom, Taunton
The senior setter wrapped up his high school volleyball with another strong spring, recording 220 assists, 90 digs, 16 aces and eight kills for the Tigers. Chaperon praised him for his unselfish play in spreading the ball around at the expense of personal accolades as well as his strong defensive skills. Some of his most notable performances this spring include 31 assists, six digs and two aces against Brockton, 23 assists, seven digs, two kills and two aces against King Philip and 13 digs, 11 assists and two kills against Greater New Bedford.
Taunton's other five-year player, Ekstrom's abilities and experience will be missed by the Tigers next year.
Bradley Hylander, Taunton
The junior libero was described as a rock defensively by Chaperon as he recorded 372 receptions, 221 digs and 25 aces for the Tigers. Some of his most notable performances this spring include 39 receptions, 18 digs and three aces against Durfee, 33 receptions and 24 digs against Greater New Bedford and 28 receptions, 24 digs and an ace against Brockton. He also recorded a season-high five aces in a 3-0 win over Quincy.
Expect Hylander to continue his defensive prowess and come back even stronger in his senior season.
Owen Kelley, Taunton
The senior moved over to outside hitter from libero for his final high school volleyball season and impressed in his new role, recording 272 receptions, 160 digs, 116 kills and 29 aces. Some of his most notable performances of the spring include 37 receptions, 11 kills and 10 digs against Milford, 21 receptions, 12 kills and 11 digs against New Bedford and 18 digs, 17 receptions and nine kills against Greater New Bedford.
Kelley's talents will certainly be missed next year as he continues his academic career at Bryant University.
Ian Hoskins, Dighton-Rehoboth
The junior outside hitter was the focal point of the Falcons' offense all spring, leading the way with 152 kills and 24 aces while also contributing to the defensive effort with 93 digs and 73 blocks. His presence also created opportunities for his teammates to score, with coach Jon Pacheco noting that as opposing teams focused their attention on him, his teammates were able to exploit it to create points. Some of his most notable outings include 17 kills against Brockton, 16 kills and six blocks against Millis and 10 kills and 11 digs against Norton.
A Tri-Valley League All-Star, expect Hoskins to continue to build and improve as an athlete heading into his senior year where he'll once again be the key man for D-R.
Connar Dexter, Dighton-Rehoboth
The junior middle hitter made quite the impact in his first season for the Falcons, recording 102 kills, 113 blocks and 14 aces while creating a dual threat in the middle with Hoskins. Defensively, his blocking abilities around the net proved to be a difference maker in close matches. Some of his most notable performances this spring include 17 kills and 11 blocks against Millis, nine kills and 11 blocks against Nipmuc and 10 kills and nine blocks against Norton.
Dexter is also a member of the Dighton-Rehoboth/Seekonk hockey team and look for him to continue to grow and improve as an athlete heading into his senior year.
Sam Courcy, Dighton-Rehoboth
The junior libero was at the center of the Falcons' defensive efforts this spring recording 303 digs. Some of his notable performances include 26 digs against Millis, 24 digs against Nipmuc and 22 digs against Norton.
Also a member of the cross country team, expect Courcy to continue to grow and improve as an athlete heading into his senior year.
Second Team All-Scholastics
Josh Duncan, Taunton
Nathaniel Wheeler, Dighton-Rehoboth
Taunton Daily Gazette sports reporter Cameron Merritt can be reached at cmerritt@tauntongazette.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @CamMerritt_News. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to the Taunton Daily Gazette today.
This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: The 2023 Taunton Daily Gazette Boys Volleyball All-Scholastics
