NEW BRITAIN — “He’s an outstanding young man and player,” said New Britain boys volleyball coach Michelle Abraham of senior captain Davin Siharath. “He’s the greatest leader I’ve ever had.”
Abraham described Siharath as one of the forefathers of the boys volleyball program in New Britain. In just their fifth season as a program, Siharath has helped build the program to one of the best in Class L. The Golden Hurricanes have improved from a four-win team in Siharath’s first season, to 13 wins a season ago and are well on their way to surpassing that mark in 2023.
While Siharath has undoubtedly left an impact on the program over the last three seasons donning the maroon and gold, Abraham believes his efforts will continue to resonate after he’s gone with his commitment to play collegiately for the Rivier University Raiders.
Anthony Olmeda was the first great success story to come out of the program as one of two ninth graders who helped get things off the ground. Olmeda has gone on to play at Central Connecticut State and is still involved with the Canes. He now serves as an example of what Abraham’s players can strive toward. Just as Siharath watched Olmeda move on to greater heights, he is now the latest star providing evidence of the opportunities that are achievable for each of Abraham’s athletes.
“They can aspire to something greater than just high school volleyball,” Abraham explained. “The younger kids look to fill these guys’ shoes when they come in the gym and show what skills they have and what they could be.”
Siharath will be studying cybersecurity at Rivier after mulling opportunities to play at schools like Nichols and on some club teams including UConn. He explained that volleyball wasn’t exactly at the forefront when narrowing his decision but admitted that he’s excited he’ll have the chance to continue playing.
“I was mainly focusing on school and my education first,” Siharath began. “If I was able to play volleyball that was going to be a plus. [Rivier] has the major I was looking for as well as the opportunity to play volleyball, so I appreciate that.”
Abraham noted that she knew what the team was going to get from Davin coming into the season. The head coach explained how much the team feeds off his energy and credited him with much of the team’s success over the last two seasons.
“Davin is just an awesome kid,” said Abraham. “He’s even-keeled, mild mannered, whether we’re winning or losing you’re always going to get the same Davin. That really helps the rest of the guys on the floor. He doesn’t get overexcited, and the rest of the kids feed off it. He’s the quarterback, and he’ll control it all. They don’t get nervous if things start going bad. They know they’ve got Davin there, and he’ll pick them up.”
While that could be the case, Siharath handed the baton to the rest of the program and their ability to put the team in such great situations to be successful.
“Since I’ve started here, I’ve grown tremendously,” Siharath noted. “The guys here are great. They’re all very competitive which makes you want to get better. That’s what I love about the team. The coaches are always giving us challenges to help us get better.
“I don’t think it’s just me, I think it’s the group of guys that we have. It’s a team sport, and I wouldn’t have done it without them. The more we work together and play together, the more wins we get.”
There has been no doubt in Siharath’s ability to lead the program this season, and Abraham thinks the same will be true once he becomes a Raider and beyond.
“On the court, off the court, in school, he’s just a natural-born leader. The university is going to be getting a good one,” said Abraham. “A real good one.”
