Volleyball
Favorite athlete: Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks
Favorite team: Philadelphia Flyers.
Favorite memory competing in sports: My first varsity basketball game as a freshman, as that had always been my goal coming into high school.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: One of the most embarrassing things that has happened to me while playing volleyball would be when I jumped up to hit a ball that came straight to me and swung at the air, completely missing the ball as it fell behind me.
Music on my playlist: Songs on my playlist are “Runaway” by Kanye West, “No Woman, No Cry” by Bob Marley, and “Ripples” by Genesis.
Future plans: I will be attending Penn State majoring in chemical engineering.
Words to live by: “If you never give 100 percent, you will never know what you can achieve.”
One goal before turning 30: I would like to be financially independent and respected in my professional field by my peers.
One thing people don’t know about me: I really enjoy watching anime.
By Ed Morrone
David Levin’s varsity basketball career was as memorably remarkable as it was brief, which set the stage for an even more impactful run on the volleyball court.
But first, that basketball cameo, because it says a lot about Levin as a competitor. Levin, a senior at Upper Dublin High School, always preferred basketball to any other sport, even though his older brother, Joey, was a standout volleyball player at the school. From the time he was a boy, David always had a goal in his head that he would make the school’s varsity basketball team as a freshman. Perhaps it was nothing more than young naivete at the time, and the fact that naysayers told Levin that very rarely do ninth graders play varsity basketball only further fueled his desire.
Whatever the case may be, Levin aspired to do something, and he didn’t care how crazy anybody thought this dream was. Spoiler alert: Levin indeed made the team as a freshman, and although it was essentially a blink-and-you-missed-it endeavor, he has a way of articulating things that make it seem like he had a Hall of Fame-worthy run.
Let Levin explain, in his own words.
“Going back to elementary school, making varsity as a freshman was always my goal,” Levin said on Tuesday afternoon, a few hours before his volleyball squad defeated North Penn to stay a perfect 9-0 in American Conference play. “I was always told that this never happens, and I like to prove people wrong in that aspect. So, a couple games into the season, I got into my first game, and it was the most exciting experience. I also had one of the greatest stat lines you could ever have.”
Come again?
“We were down by 23 points with four minutes left in the third quarter, and the coach looked down the bench and put me in. I played 10 minutes and we won by two, so I was a plus-25 that night.”
Despite the maximum efficiency, Levin unfortunately had to give up basketball as quickly as his dream actualized due to one too many concussions, allowing him to shift his entire focus to the volleyball court in the spring. He made varsity as a freshman as well, even getting to play on the same team as Joey for a season before his older brother graduated.
David didn’t immediately love volleyball when he started playing for a club team in seventh grade. Well, he loved the sport itself, but all the learning he had to do initially sapped his enjoyment.
“I just wanted to play, not learn,” he said. “After the first three practices, I went home and told my parents I didn’t want to play anymore, and I talked to the coaches about it too. But after a week or two, I just loved the sport so much and found it so much fun. Then, I made it a goal to play varsity volleyball as a freshman so that I could play on the same team as my brother. That was really nice for me and my family as well.”
Levin credited Joey for encouraging him to stick with the sport even when he didn’t think he was talented enough before he got to high school. In Joey’s words, David could only get that much better, given how inexperienced he was.
Paul Choi is the head volleyball coach at Upper Dublin, and he has built the program into one of sustained success atop the standings. Choi made it clear that whether you’re a senior or freshman, if you make varsity, then you are expected to perform.
“No matter your grade or age, everyone is on the same playing field,” Choi said. “I do remember David always being intelligent, in school and in volleyball. He’s young, so there’s a big learning curve, but his enthusiasm and competitive nature made him stand out, even as a ninth grader. I believe he made it harder for the upperclassmen, and David definitely bumped us up a notch. He would do everything in his power to win, even if it’s just a drill in practice. To this day, that competitive fire in him hasn’t changed.”
Levin understood the risk Choi took in sticking his neck out to put a young kid on the roster of a very successful program, and he wanted to deliver for his coach, who deployed Levin as a setter on the court as a player whose precise passing set his teammates up for kills to score points.
“Paul put a freshman on the court, so if I mess up, all eyes are on him,” Levin said. “So, I knew I had to show up every day, no matter what.”
As successful as the Cardinals volleyball program had been, the team had never won a postseason game. Despite finishing with a 13-4 record (11-3 in conference play), the winless playoff trend continued, but the experience was invaluable for the competitive Levin, who now had something to work toward the next season.
Or so he thought. Sadly, Levin lost his sophomore season due to the pandemic, and had to wait for junior year for his encore. Levin counted his blessings that he was able to stay in shape during the downtime thanks to a stocked home gym. And even though he didn’t have a volleyball court in his backyard, he stayed sharp by setting the ball to himself around the house, just to pass the time.
“I have volleyballs scattered throughout the house, probably four or five in total, so every room I walk into, there’s a ball,” Levin said. “I’d set it in the air back and forth to myself for 45 minutes at a time all throughout the day. I’d even be lying in bed at night setting it in the air, just to touch a ball as much as possible.”
When Levin finally returned to the court for his junior season, the Cardinals were locked and loaded with eight seniors, and Levin was the only non-senior to see significant court time. That season was well worth the wait, as it was unequivocally the best in program history. Led by the seniors and Levin, Upper Dublin posted a 22-3 overall record, including a 13-1 mark in conference play.
This success happened despite the fact that Choi had changed Levin’s position from setter to hitter, meaning Levin was more of an attacker on offense. On the court, setters have to know the positioning of all players on the court, and Levin credited his knowledge of his old position for him being able to seamlessly transition to his new one.
The Cardinals won their conference that year, and not only did they win a playoff game, but they marched all the way to the district final. They lost, but it was good enough to send the team to states for the first time in program history. Against La Salle in the opening round, Choi again shifted Levin’s position mid-match, this time from hitter to libero, which is essentially the defensive stalwart and last line of defense on the back row. Levin had been practicing at the position in the week leading up to the match just in case, but he was still hesitant. He didn’t want to let his team down, especially after they had made it so far together.
Another spoiler alert: he didn’t, as Upper Dublin won a deciding fifth set by the narrowest of margins: 15-13. The Cardinals were eliminated in the next round, but it was a storybook season, and Levin was right in the middle of it.
“Essentially, all the stars aligned that season,” he said. “Everyone accepted their roles perfectly. Volleyball is truly a sport of energy and camaraderie, so the more you like each other, the more you play for one another. I couldn’t have asked for a better group in total. We had everything going for us. To be the first team in school history to win the conference was the most exciting experience. And while we didn’t know what to expect in states, coming out with a first-round win was the most unbelievable feeling. We stormed the court and everybody was screaming. The feeling going in, we had no idea, so to achieve that was a top 10 experience for sure.”
Of course, with the loss of those eight seniors, last season was going to be a tough act to follow. Levin is a captain for the second consecutive year, but this time he was easily the most experienced player and found himself on the court with a lot of guys he hadn’t played with a whole lot.
So far, the Cardinals have been up to the challenge, winning all nine conference contests with an overall record of 10-3. The only defeats, to cross-conference opponents Neshaminy, Abington and Council Rock North, have been close.
“We came into this season with not one team in our league thinking we could be that good again,” Levin said. “Our expectations are that we can beat any team we play. Our goal is to win the SOL championship, which would be the best possible outcome for our season. It would be spectacular to be part of the first two teams in school history to win our conference.”
When Choi was asked about his earliest impressions of Levin when he was still in middle school, he said he thought Levin “was a young little kid, who in my eyes was very loud.” Choi didn’t mean that Levin was a disruptor; rather, that the kid wasn’t afraid to use his voice to positively influence his teammates, then or now. Not only that, but Levin never once fussed when Choi switched his positions, even in the middle of a match at the state tournament. Levin just took the changes in stride, and still performed at an extremely high level no matter where he was stationed.
“He was always more than willing to play any position, as long as it benefitted the team,” Choi said. “It shows the character of David as a person in his willingness to be a team player, and to trust me as a coach to be all-in with whatever we think is the best course of action.
“And he’s still not afraid to voice his opinions. He brings kids together to have them understand that being a close-knit group goes a long way. Outside of the actual volleyball, he is doing the things you would want any leader to do.”
Knowing that he would be playing with many new varsity teammates this year, Levin organically took it upon himself to make everybody comfortable. He knows that in order for him to succeed, the team first has to succeed as a unit. A week into the season, Levin organized a dinner for the entire team, just to lay the foundation to what would later become close friendships.
“Most of the kids on the team played jayvee the year before,” he said. “So I knew we had to build these relationships as quickly as possible. It means a lot to me to be a captain again, because I’m someone who wants to have the responsibility. I trust myself, and I know my greatest interest is for everyone to elevate their games.”
When this season and Levin’s senior year come to an end soon, he will be bound for Penn State University in the fall to study chemical engineering. During his time at Upper Dublin, Levin discovered how much he enjoyed math, chemistry and engineering, so why not study something that combines all three elements? He said he’s still not sure what his ultimate career goal is just yet, but he likes the idea of learning material engineering, to be able to build new materials, such as carbon fiber, mainly because you can see the real life application benefits of something you helped build.
When he’s not busy playing volleyball or studying, Levin said he loves to watch anime and spend time with his two dogs and two cats, as well as all the friends he’s made during his time at Upper Dublin. As for volleyball itself, Levin said he plans on trying out for the club team, and maybe even seeing if he could potentially walk on to the collegiate squad. Either way, he just knows he wants to keep volleyball in his life, because it’s been the catalyst for many of the good things that have developed in his life since he started playing.
“It’s so important to me, and I need to stay competitive when I go away to school,” he said. “That will happen with other students in my major, so while volleyball will be competitive, I also view it as a mental break to go have fun away from my studies. I remember my first day of volleyball tryouts, I showed up to the gym 90 minutes early because I couldn’t just sit at home. It’s something I look forward to more than anything — being on the court with a group of guys just can’t be matched.”
The showing up 90 minutes early thing didn’t stop there, either. Levin said he showed up and still arrives that early for most practices and matches, and he credits Choi with establishing an environment that is as competitive as it is fun. Many athletes, Levin said, are only excited for the games themselves, but actually dread the monotony of practice. This was certainly not the case at Upper Dublin.
“I show up so early because I’m just so happy to be there,” Levin said. “The atmosphere is just amazing. I never once said I wasn’t looking forward to practice. When I look back on the season after it ends, I know I’m going to wish I could recreate it, even if it was just for one more minute. I can’t thank Paul enough for building the atmosphere he has here. It truly is one of a kind.”
