'An animal at the net': The son of a two-time state champion setting the tone for New Bedford volleyball
NEW BEDFORD — With his father, Predell, playing on the last two state championship teams for New Bedford High boys volleyball in the late 1990s, Davon Shields is looking to leave his own mark on the volleyball program.
The junior middle hitter is off to a great start.
He was instrumental in New Bedford’s rare sweep of rival GNB Voc-Tech on Friday night to help the Whalers end a two-game losing streak to the Bears and win the City Challenge Cup for the first time since May 13, 2022.
“It feels amazing,” New Bedford senior setter Carter Barbosa said. “We’ve been waiting for this. Last year we lost to them twice in one season, and it was soul-crushing, but this year we have an amazing team that’s super intense and with so much skill. We had a lot of confidence coming in, and that’s what carried us through the game.”
Shields set the tone for New Bedford at the net early on with two of his five blocks in the opening set.
“My dad won two ships over here. He really taught me to play with intensity,” Shields said. “I just needed to make sure I kept the energy up with my teammates. I wanted to make sure it was electric. I wanted to make sure we set the tone and kept it throughout the entire game.”
New Bedford jumped out to a 15-5 lead in the first set and cruised to a 25-10 victory. The Bears, who were without senior outside hitter Colin Stuessi (sick), battled in the second set before falling 25-18. The Whalers outlasted GNB Voc-Tech in the third set 25-21 to clinch the win.
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“We played well, and we were clicking, but there is still room for improvement on our end,” New Bedford head coach Ben Kaeterle said. “I know they were missing one of their top guys with Colin out, but I told them we can’t be so focused on what the other side is doing. It needs to be clean on our side and playing smart and effective.”
Said GNB Voc-Tech head coach Richie Gomes, “We’ve still got to play our game and put a better performance forward. Not having him (Colin Stuessi) definitely hurt us a lot. We rely on him a lot.
"We’ll see them again and we’ll be ready for it. We’ll be a whole different team. I look forward to it.”
The undefeated Whalers (5-0) are off to their best start in eight years under Kaeterle and have depended upon the presence of Shields in the front row.
“Shields is an animal at the net — whether he’s getting set or not, he’s getting every single block,” Barbosa said. “The other team isn’t getting anything over him.”
Kaeterle added, “He’s been playing well in other sports, but he’s really stepped into another tier this year as a middle, and he’s become a go-to option — and we’ve got a lot of options.
“He’s Mr. Consistent, and he’s playing smart.”
Kaeterle said he saw potential in Shields in middle school.
“I saw him at Roosevelt, and he’s been earning it ever since, and he’s really dedicated to it,” Kaeterle said. “We did a clinic, and I ran it for a year or two, and he was there. He’s one of only a couple of guys there when we started the boys program, and now the middle school has a whole program. He’s one of the initial guys that brought it back. I’m proud to see him play at this level now.
“He’s been doing that all season. He leads with his intensity. He’s played with a lot of fire.”
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WHAT IT MEANS
With the win, the Whalers improved to 5-0 on the season. They visit Catholic Memorial on Tuesday morning. ... The Bears, who fell to 4-2, host Hingham on Monday, April 22. ... The rematch between Whalers and Bears will take place on May 10 at GNB Voc-Tech.
COACHES CORNER
“They did a really good job tonight. They took care of what they were supposed to do on their side of the net, and they took advantage of our weak points. That’s what rocked it in their favor.” — Gomes
“I thought we blocked well tonight, and Nick Rosa is one of the reasons why. He’s always lined up with the other team’s best hitter. Nyron (Foster) had a heck of a game, and Carter (Barbosa) was so consistent. It’s a deep team with a lot of guys that make my job difficult with who I have to put out there.” — Kaeterle
STATS
Nyron Foster led New Bedford with 10 kills, five service aces and two blocks while Shields had seven kills and five blocks. Juan Grau Montano had four kills and 11 digs. Barbosa had 23 assists, one ace, one kill and eight digs while Amir Salih Tavares had seven blocks and Davon Centeio added nine digs.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Davon Shields helps New Bedford beat GNB Voc-Tech to win 2024 City Cup
