Bahrain's Drue Britton his the ball over the net in the championship match at the DODEA-Europe South boys volleyball finals Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Vicenza, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Like many stationed in Bahrain, Drue Britton and his mother Denetric faced a major decision this summer.

The Brittons were evacuated like everyone else when tensions heightened in the Middle East. Despite having a job at the school, Denetric weighed transferring to another DODEA school or staying stateside.

Ultimately, the Brittons chose to return to Bahrain School for his Drue’s senior year.

“Things started clearing up,” Britton said of their reasoning. “My mom made the decision to come back because obviously, she likes it in Bahrain, but she also has a job here. So, she was going to come back either way.”

The Bahrain boys volleyball team is more than pleased he returned. The Falcons produced a historic season, winning the DODEA-Europe South championship in Vicenza, Italy, earlier this month.

The triumph marked the program’s and school’s first title since a Mediterranean crown in 2015.

Britton played a key role in that success. The senior outside hitter earned tournament MVP honors, and because of his exploits, he’s been named Stars and Stripes’ 2025 DODEA-Europe boys volleyball Athlete of the Year.

“I’ve been working toward this goal for the past four years,” Britton said. “To see me improve and to see everybody in support of me being the MVP, it definitely shows a lot, and I’m really grateful for that.”

Britton managed to shine brightly despite a shortened season.

He finished with 175 kills at .267% hitting efficiency in 11 matches over three weekends of play. Britton also had 28 aces and 17 blocks.

His coach, Josh Dinkler, said he managed to amass those stats despite sharing the wealth with teammates like junior middle blockers Enoch Oduro and Noah Gabriele.

When Britton was called upon, he answered for his team.

“When Diego (Mercado-Rodriquez) sets me, I can go anywhere on the court anytime I want,” Britton said. “I have a high vertical, so it’s easier to put the ball where I want it and there not be much of a block or a touch on the ball.”

Outside of his physical abilities, Britton highlighted his leadership as his strongest trait.

Not that the squad lacked veterans. The Falcons returned all but one starter from last season’s squad, which placed fifth during the 2024 championships – the last combined one with 14 teams.

Britton stood out among players like fellow senior outside hitter Ben Shutt and senior right-side hitter Zeyad Ramadan, as well the middles and junior setter Mercado-Rodriquez.

“I try to direct the floor when I’m back row, and front row, calling out plays, calling out spots that are open, calling out how many blockers are up, calling out if the ball is tight, if it’s off … things of that nature to every have everyone gel together,” Britton said.

Getting all those players back for this campaign was a minor miracle.

Just like the Brittons, many families debated returning. Then, the original schedule didn’t have a single match against DODEA competition until the qualifying tournament.

Eventually, the Falcons got to travel to Sigonella during the last weekend of the regular season, going 3-0.

Bahrain already faces enough adversity because of the school’s location, Britton said, but even more obstacles were thrown their way this year.

That made Nov. 8’s 25-11, 25-20, 25-16 sweep of Black Forest Academy, the only squad to best Bahrain this season, in the final all the sweeter.

“Every single year we have to try to advocate for ourselves to try to get ourselves on the map because they never really include us,” Britton said. “You don’t really see our school because we’re in the middle of nowhere, not really close to other schools.

“It shows how strong of a team we were, and what we were able to compete within the timeframe within the games we got, it shows how strong we were as a group.”

Britton’s volleyball career may be coming to an end. He said he’s looked at Division III and NAIA colleges, but because he’s spent most of his life in Japan and Bahrain, he’s more accustomed to life overseas and might pursue an environmental engineer degree outside the U.S.

Before moving on, though, he said his last season at Bahrain will stick with him.

“We’ve gotten so much praise; we’ve done so many things that I never imagined I would,” Britton said. “So, I’m going to remember this moment the rest of my life.”