Berkley volleyball solidifying new expectations behind senior core

BERKLEY — It’s one thing for a group of players to achieve success for a program, but it’s another when they are transforming a school into a state finals threat.

Led by seniors and four-year starters Ava Beard (setter/outside hitter), Sophia Dawkins (setter/libero) and Sawyer Jones (middle hitter), the class of 2023 will go down as one of the strongest varsity volleyball classes to ever step on the court at Berkley High School.

But it didn’t start that way. In their freshman year at Berkley, the team’s struggles resulted in a winless record.

“According to the girls who have been there, like Sawyer, Sophia and Ava, and in their words, it was they would walk into the gym and it would be everyone’s ‘empty-the-bench game,”’ Berkley coach Eric Wachterhauser said.

Wachterhauser took over as head coach in the 2020 season, and Berkley tallied 16 wins in his first year as head coach to earn Berkley its first winning season in 19 years. The team also won the first district championship in school history.

Berkley carried over the success into the 2021 campaign, winning 34 games, a school record; its second consecutive district championship; its first season in the Oakland Activities Association-White; and a trip to the regional finals.

“His main goal was to build a program from the ground up,” Beard said of Wachterhauser. “He’s definitely had an impact, but a big part of our culture has come from me, Sawyer Jones and Sophia Dawkins.”

Alongside Beard, Jones and Dawkins, seniors Hannah Roddis (setter) and Jordan Budzinski (defensive specialist/libero) have continued to make history at Berkley.

With its third consecutive district championship and 36 wins this season, Berkley’s senior core has solidified a new expectation at the school.

“They attract a lot of attention from our younger kids, which is fantastic,” Wachterhauser said. “Whether they want to or not, they are; they’re leaders by example.”

Berkley earned its third straight district title in a three-set sweep of Royal Oak High School Nov. 4. Berkley has now won four straight meetings against Royal Oak.

Berkley’s balanced attack has been the key factor in earning wins this season.

“I would like to say that our balance offensively and defensively would be our foremost point of pride,” Wachterhauser said. “We can get a lot of kills in a lot of different ways.”

Beard, a Saginaw Valley State University commit, said the team’s success drew excitement at the district finals.

“Berkley volleyball usually doesn’t have a crowd like that at games, so that was really nice,” Beard said. “They really brought the energy.”

Berkley was scheduled to face Detroit Cass Tech in the opening round of regionals Nov. 8, after press time, in an effort to make it back to the sweet sixteen for the second straight year.

Beard said the team has its eyes on a certain goal.

“Our goal for ourselves was to go farther than we did last year,” Beard said. “All year, we’ve been just working towards that goal to get to states.”

Regardless of the result at regionals, Berkley volleyball has established a new standard.

Juniors Sophie Owens, Emily High, Julia Watson, Mariah Jones and Erika Mayry and sophomores Karsen Savage, Gretchen Stief and Alana White will lead the future of Berkley volleyball.

“We’ll be looking for more people to do more things than just five or six leaders,” Wachterhauser said. “We’ll probably be more than eight or nine deep.”

As for the seniors, it’s one more chance at history.

Wachterhauser said his wish is that his seniors take pride in what they accomplished.

“You can see on their face the excitement that they’re leaving a legacy at Berkley,” Wachterhauser said.