Coach Craig Johnson sat down too, preparing to deliver his postgame chat, when one of the referees called over to the team as he packed up his gear.

“I’ll see you ladies on Wednesday against Pembroke,’’ he said.

A number of the Bulldogs, in unison, quickly shot back, “Ladies and Felipe.’’

Felipe DoNascimento, a 5-foot-9 senior, is the only boy, but not the tallest player, on the team.

“It’s my senior year and I wanted to do something I really like,’’ said the 18-year-old DoNascimento. “And I don’t care what people say about me, so I just went for it.’’

DoNascimento grew up playing volleyball in his native Brazil, but in his first three years at Rockland High, he chose to play soccer during the fall season. He decided he wanted to play volleyball as a senior. His only option this fall, however, was to suit up for the girls’ team because Rockland does not field a boys’ squad.

According to Paul Wetzel, spokesman for the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, fewer than 10 boys played on girls’ volleyball teams across the state last fall, and the number “will probably be similar this year; there’s no reason to think that it has changed,’’ he said. Eighty-eight schools offer boys’ volleyball.

“It’s just like a hobby, something for fun,’’ said DoNascimento. “I don’t think I’m going to be a professional volleyball player, but it’s just something that I have a passion for. I totally love volleyball. I like it very much.’’

In Brazil, DoNascimento is a setter, orchestrating the attack for the big hitters at the net. At Rockland, he is one of six starters on the floor, but his versatility is limited: he must play libero, a defensive position, thanks to an MIAA rule implemented for coed volleyball in 2005. He cannot participate in a play in front of the 10-foot line, such as blocking a hit or playing the ball above the net. In addition, he must don the same uniform as the girls.

“You think that it would be a deal breaker, wearing the spandex shorts, and for many people it would be,’’ said Johnson, who has guided the Bulldogs to a 4-6 start in his first season as head coach. “But his love of the game triumphed over that.’’

DoNascimento said at first he was hesitant about wearing the spandex because he’s “kind of shy’’ but once he tried the shorts on, it wasn’t that bad, he said. He also wears a longer shirt, “so it’s not bad at all.’’

Johnson explained the rules and his expectations to DoNascimento in a preseason meeting last spring. DoNascimento was still undecided, but after much thought over the summer he told Johnson that he was ready to play.

“I don’t remember his exact words but it was something like ‘Get ready, Mr. Johnson, I’m coming out for the team,’ ’’ said the coach.

The 13 junior and senior girls on the varsity team have clearly accepted DoNascimento, according to Johnson.

Senior captain Barbara Henneberry said at first she was surprised when she heard a boy was trying out for the team, but now considers DoNascimento to be a great asset to the program emotionally and athletically.

“He uplifts our team very much,’’ said Henneberry, the team’s starting setter. “When someone messes up he makes sure to go out of his way and go, ‘It’s OK, pick it up next time.’ He’s a really nice person altogether.’’

Outside of the Rockland community though, not everyone is so understanding. One fan at an area school called DoNascimento an expletive while the team was walking by. Henneberry was quick to defend her teammate, answering the spectator.

“I don’t know if they’re jealous or if they’re just not used to it,’’ she said. “But I don’t like when that happens.’’

Fellow senior Jess Vlachos agreed.

“We’re all there to show him that it’s not wrong for him to be on the team,’’ the rightside hitter said. “It shows that boys can do the same things as girls and girls can do the same things as boys.’’

Junior setter Juli Lasciuto understands what DoNascimento faces. She plays defense on the boys’ varsity hockey team.

“I was like ‘I play hockey, it’s like the opposite,’ ’’ Lasciuto said. “It’s really good though. I respect him so much. And it makes me feel better too.’’

Dennis Greene, in his eighth season as the head coach at Middleborough, said he has no problem with DoNascimento suiting up for Rockland.

“If they don’t have a men’s team and if the gentleman likes volleyball, it gives him a chance to play,’’ Greene said.

Greene said he thought he might have a boy on his squad this season, but the player missed the tryout dates and the roster had been filled.

“He’s welcome,’’ Greene said of the possibility of the boy trying out for next year’s team. “More power to him. I think it’s a great thing. He likes volleyball and he says he wanted to play, so hopefully we’ll see him next year.’’

Silver Lake head coach Greg Black took a slightly different stance.

“I don’t think it’s fair because of the physical differences,’’ he said.

Volleyball is not a toughness factor sport, but a sport that relies on reaction times, and in most cases, he said, men have faster reaction times.

While the issue of a boy playing on a girls’ team will continue to be debated, Johnson said he couldn’t be more proud of how his team has handled the situation.

“There’s no better sign of teamwork when one person is down and everybody else comes up,’’ he said. “A quote I tell the team is ‘The beauty of team sports is that when one person is down, there’s a number of people that have to have their back. And when that happens to you, you’ve got to be the one to carry someone when they go down.’ ’’

Lizzy Snell can be reached at esnell@globe.com