Butler graduate Alex Moncello is all smiles as he signs a letter of intent to continue his academic and volleyball career at Chatham University. He is flanked by parents James and Joanne Moncello. Butler volleyball coach Lew Liparulo looks on. John Enrietto/Butler Eagle

BUTLER TWP — Alex Moncello enjoyed a fresh start to his volleyball career his senior season at Butler.

Now he’s going to help Chatham University enjoy the same.

The Golden Tornado setter — who cracked the varsity starting lineup for the first time in 2022-23 — is continuing his academic and volleyball career with Chatham’s inaugural men’s volleyball team.

He also considered Elizabethtown, Juniata and Carnegie Mellon before deciding on Chatham. He plans to major in physics.

“Chatham is close and it’s a new volleyball team,” Moncello said. “I feel like I have as good a shot as anyone to step right in there and play. I’m excited about the opportunity.”

Moncello has been playing volleyball since eighth grade. He’d been with the high school team all four years, but primarily played junior varsity.

“Being a setter, he had to wait his turn,” Butler volleyball coach Lew Liparulo said. “Alex has a lot of talent. Tue only thing against him is his size. To play Division 1 volleyball, they’re looking for guys 6-foot-5 or 6-6.

“Alex is 5-8. He worked hard on his game all those years and was ready to step in and be a starter for us this year. We were 12-6, had a solid season, and he was a big reason why.”

Besides playing for Butler, Moncello played for Steel City VBC in Evans City.

“He made his senior season count because he was prepared,” Liparulo said. “Alex became a leader for us. When your setter works as hard as he did, that tends to rub off on the other players.

“He wound up making our top five all-time in assists for a season. Alex is a very heady player.”

Chatham’s head coach will be Joseph Bortak, who has served as the Cougars’ women’s volleyball coach for five years. He was an All-American as a player at Juniata. Bortak will coach both the men’s and women’s teams.

Moncello emphasized that his education will come first and when it comes to volleyball, “I just want to have fun.”

Liparulo believes Moncello’s game will grow as Chatham’s program grows.

“Alex never missed an open gym and playing club volleyball definitely helped him,” the coach said. “He’s going to a team and a level of volleyball where he can establish himself. I think he’ll have a solid career there.”