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07/14/2016 12:00 AMSean Monaghan recently earned All-State honors based on his exceptional play for the Xavier High School boys’ volleyball squad this spring. Sean, a Chester resident, was also named to the All-Southern Connecticut Conference First Team upon the conclusion of his recent senior season with the Falcons. Sean was presented with his All-State accolade last month at the AquaTurf Club in Southington.
“Being named was a great honor. Only 15 kids get to be on the All-State Team and they are all really good players,” Sean says. “This is the biggest accomplishment for me and it was really exciting. At the beginning of the season, I had some good games, so I thought it was a possibility, but I didn’t think I’d get it until my coach told me at the end of the year, so it was a nice surprise.”
Sean, who was a captain for the Falcons this year, played the outside hitter position as a senior. It was a change from Sean’s junior campaign, when he started at middle hitter and collected an All-SCC Second Team distinction. Sean was more accustomed to setting up his teammates and playing tough defense as a middle hitter. Switching to the outside, Sean took advantage of his 6 foot-2 frame and used it to attack the opposition and score points for his club.
“When he came in as a freshman, Sean was behind as far as his skillset, but worked hard every year to be the best,” says Xavier Head Coach John Post. “After his freshman and sophomore year, I wasn’t sure how to get him on the court, but he worked so hard to expand his skills and started as a junior, then became one of the best players in the state his senior year. He became an extremely well-rounded player and he stood out in every match we played in.”
As a junior, Sean helped Xavier reach the SCC Tournament final and advance to the semifinals of the Class L State Tournament. This spring, the Falcons went 10-8 in the regular season and made the SCC semis before losing to a tough Cheshire squad, which also defeated Xavier in states. Sean led Xavier with 356 kills for an average of 4.93 per set in his senior campaign. He also had a hitting percentage of .312 to go with 51 aces and 153 digs.
“I was ready to help the team out any way I could and my coach asked me to play outside, so that’s what I did. Now that the season is over, I am definitely happy with the switch because, on the outside, you get a lot more attempts at hitting and, ultimately, scoring points for your team. Also, playing outside meant that I was playing all six rotations, including passing in the back row. I did miss blocking out of the middle, but the transition was definitely in my favor,” Sean says. “Hitting is my favorite component of the game. I learned to read the opponent’s defense and I hit based upon that. A lot of guys try to only hit for power, but I like to hit spots on the court, whether that would be tipping, hitting down the line or hard cross court, throwing it off the block, or hitting with power and hoping that they cannot return it.”
Off the court, Sean is a member of the National Honor Society and spends time working with Middlesex Youth ARC, Inc., a volunteer service organization that’s dedicated to the philosophy that growth and personal development occur as a result of social interactions between persons with intellectual disabilities and the students of Xavier and Mercy high schools.
“Sean is such a great kid and works as hard as he can to be a better player and person,” says Coach Post. “I coach the East Hampton girls’ team in the fall and Sean acted as the team manager, giving his time to help out in any way he could. He is the kind of person any coach would want in their program.”
Sean’s passion for volleyball began at John Winthrop Middle School in Deep River. He then started competing year-round for club teams and that further bolstered his desire to play at the high school level.
“Volleyball is such a great team sport; a true team sport. It’s all about being on the same page because, if one person is off, they can throw the whole team off,” he says. “It can be a very temperamental game that way, but it’s also a lot of fun. You build great chemistry and you have to anticipate what others will do. I’ve also made great friendships playing and met tons of people from all over the state playing for Xavier and on club teams.”
Now that his four years at Xavier are finished, Sean will be attending UConn, where he will major in business and play volleyball on a club squad.
“I really enjoy playing the game and would like to keep that going in college. UConn doesn’t have a team, so I plan to play at the club level,” Sean says. “One thing I have to do is thank my parents [Tom and Ann Monaghan], my grandma [Maureen Grunback], and all my friends, especially Tucker Aglio from Chester, [who] was our libero and was also All-Conference. He deserves a lot of credit for pushing me and making our team better. And I’d like to thank my Head Coach John Post, all my coaches, and teammates.”