Haitian Sincoul family helps elevate Lake Worth boys volleyball to historic season

The Sincoul family from Haiti has put Lake Worth High boys volleyball on the map.

Senior fraternal twins Alendy and Olivier have soared on the volleyball court, and their sister, Nehemie, off the court as the Trojans' head coach.

The Sincoul trio has spearheaded a renaissance for a Lake Worth program that was nondescript before they arrived.

Wednesday’s straight-set victory over Somerset Canyons allowed Lake Worth to cap a historic regular season at 16-1.

“I’m very proud but I’m not going to take all the credit," coach Nehemie Sincoul said. “If the boys didn’t push me, we would’ve just been a regular program. We did it together. The family came to make Lake Worth a better place, I guess."

The Sincouls escaped Haiti after the 2006 earthquake. Alendy and Olivier were 4 years old with no memory of their native country where soccer was king.

The 6-foot-4 rangy Alendy and the 5-foot-9 Olivier were late bloomers to volleyball. They didn’t play until sophomore year.

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While Olivier is the steady, exuberant, cerebral role player as the setter, Alendy is the dynamic star, leaping for kills. Alendy now ranks as one of the top club-volleyball outside hitters in Florida’s 18-year-old division. It’s been a stunning rise.

“I bring to the table a supportive teammate and an athletic player that you can trust to put away every single ball,’’ Alendy said.

Alendy will head to Concordia University in Irvine, Calif., on a volleyball scholarship. But first Alendy wants more milestones as the Trojans look for the first district title since 2005.

On Tuesday night in a packed Trojans gym for Senior Night, Alendy put the finishing touches on a straight-set victory over Jupiter with a kill shot on match point for a 25-17, 26-24, 25-22 triumph.

Before this season, Lake Worth hadn’t beaten Jupiter in 20 years. Earlier this year, Lake Worth won a five-setter over Jupiter and set the stage for magnificence.

“It’s like history,’’ Alendy said. “We haven’t had a team like this for 20 years. We were never able to beat Jupiter. We’ve set the groundwork for Lake Worth. We’re just propelling. How we practice is exactly how we play. We’re looking to go as far as possible.’’

As a freshman, with a package of size and athleticism, he tried out for coach Frank Baxley’s basketball powerhouse but didn’t stick with it.

“I didn’t find the love for the sport the way I was supposed to," Alendy said. “I’m grateful for everything volleyball brought me."

Alendy was persuaded to play volleyball by a friend at an open gym at the YMCA. Park Vista’s Zachary Jabr told Alendy he should play high school volleyball with his talents.

Alendy and his brother went out for volleyball as sophomores. Alendy joined Ocean Bay’s prestigious club team in Deerfield Beach, coached by Robert Smith and Chevin Morris.

Meanwhile, Lake Worth needed a coach, so their sister volunteered. Nehemie had never played volleyball but enjoyed watching it. Before she started as a coach, she studied up through videos.

“I just love the game so much," Nehemie said. “I wanted to have somebody to play it because I couldn’t."

Alendy and Nehemie admit sister and brother don’t always see eye to eye.

“It’s a love-hate relationship," Alendy said. “You want a coach who's going to tell you what you want to hear. My sister is going to tell me only the real. She wants the best for me. We butt heads once in a while.’’

Nehemie, who works as a registrar at Boynton Beach High, says their fights never hurt the team vibe.

“It’s a sibling thing," Nehemie said. "As a coach, he respects me. We don’t argue in front of the players. We argue at home."

Though twins, Alendy and Oliver look nothing alike with the height difference and complexion.

“Everybody is always surprised when we say we’re twins," Alendy said. “My brother, he just never looked like me."

Olivier, too, plans to play college volleyball. The NAIA's Bethel (Indiana) and two Division III Pennsylvania schools, Randolph and Geneva, are on his radar.

As a sophomore, Olivier was a reserve defensive specialist, getting rare action. But he’s blossomed into an essential. In addition to the Sincouls, middle hitter Arthur Ovilmar has been a huge piece to Lake Worth’s prosperity.

“I never went to be the person to lose the game, to be the cause, as I was my first year," Olivier said.

Watching his brother develop into a superstar with massive kill shots has been “satisfying," Olivier says. “It’s all I can ask for watching him play at a high-level club,’’ Olivier said. “It’s so entertaining and high speed.

“We get along well. We’ve been in the same room 17 years. We wear the same clothes to church and share a lot of stuff."

Alendy has admiration for his brother. “He wasn’t supposed to play the setter position but he just took it for the team to help us out," Alendy said. “He’s fallen in love with it. He just works and works. It inspires me. I draw my energy off him."

Lake Worth’s lone loss came against the new high school, Dr. Joaquin Garcia, which has weaved an impressive season despite having no senior class. The two schools could match up in the district finals next week.

Alendy has 226 kills this season and still wants to add to his game. “I’d like to improve my passing," Alendy said. “If I can pass every ball like I can kill every ball, I’ll be a player nobody wants to face."

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Sincoul family key to Lake Worth boys volleyball's special season