The Mt. Lebanon boys volleyball team has won three WPIAL championships — in 1997, 1998 and 2001. However, after 2011, the program stopped operating. In 2022, the team was revived and has been rebuilding ever since. During the 2025 season, the newly revived team advanced to the WPIAL playoff quarterfinals.
Senior captain Cooper Wertz has been part of the team since his sophomore year. Since then, he has watched the program grow from winning only two sets all season to going 14-2 and becoming section champions the following year.
“The sense of family that the team has provided has also grown,” Wertz said. “Team dinners, meetings, tournaments and bus rides have provided that connection that helps us on and off the court.”
Wertz is committed to play college volleyball at Washington & Jefferson College.
“I knew I wanted to play volleyball in college; it was just a matter of which school was the right fit for me,” Wertz said. “As soon as I visited the campus and met the kids I would be playing with, I wanted to go there.”
During his senior season, Wertz believes it is time to step into a leadership role and set an example for his teammates. Through his leadership, he hopes to show that no matter how long someone has been playing, their work ethic has the biggest impact on their success.
Junior Sam Shannon-Spector has been a member of the varsity team since his freshman year. That experience has allowed him to face strong competition early and develop more quickly. As a result, he has gained the confidence that he can match up with anyone across the net.
In the future, Shannon-Spector is considering high-ranking Division III schools, with his main goal being to play for a competitive program while receiving the best education possible. For this season, however, he describes the team as “hungry.”
“That sums up our mentality,” Shannon-Spector said. “We want to beat every team we see, and we want it to be known that we are right back where we were last year. For us, every point counts, no matter where we are or who we’re playing.”
Shannon-Spector believes this mentality has already been evident during the team’s first few practices. He also hopes to make a name for himself this season.
“I want teams in the WPIAL to know who I am, so when they are going up against Lebo, they make a game plan for me,” Shannon-Spector said. “I want to be able to impact each game this season and be a pivotal part of our success. I want to help push this team back to WPIALs, where I know we can make a run.”
Since his freshman year, Shannon-Spector says his mindset has evolved as he has grown into a key contributor for the team.
“In my freshman year and most of my sophomore year, my job on the court was to be reliable, stay up to the standard of varsity WPIAL volleyball and not be a liability,” Shannon-Spector said. “It used to be about doing my job and trying to play up to these players. Now I’m more confident in myself, and I know I need to perform for my team. This year I’ve set a higher standard for myself. I’m trying to minimize mistakes and be an anchor for this team.”
Wertz shares a similar mindset when it comes to this year’s team and hopes to help the group build on last season’s success.
“We set a very high bar last year, so being able to win games and make it further in the playoffs would be my goal,” Wertz said. “As a team, we are just trying to improve every day. We lost a lot of key pieces last year, and filling those spots is going to be tough, but we understand that we all have to work together to hopefully come out with a similar outcome this year.”
Beyond high school, Wertz plans to carry the lessons he learned from Lebo volleyball into his future, both in college volleyball and in life.
“Lebo volleyball has taught me that it’s OK to be outside your comfort zone,” Wertz said. “Doing things that may or may not have a big impact on a game can put a lot of pressure on you. Having that support system around you helps you understand that it’s OK to make mistakes.”
Shannon-Spector credits Wertz and other seniors, as well as upperclassmen from previous years, for helping him improve his mechanics and develop as a player. He says they were a major reason he stuck with volleyball and hopes to inspire underclassmen the same way he was inspired.
“I hope to show an example to the underclassmen of a different level of volleyball,” Shannon-Spector said. “My goal is for the underclassmen right now to be better than I am in their junior year and senior year. I want them to be the best they can be and reach their full potential.”
For underclassmen navigating the recruiting process and playing volleyball, Wertz offers this advice:
“Start early, focus on what you can do now, and the rest will follow,” Wertz said. “No one becomes great in their first year. Stick with the sport, and skills and experience will come with time.”
