The girls’ volleyball team has worked very hard this season. They practiced Monday through Thursday, with no practice on game days. Each practice was for about two and a half hours. The team did a great job of bouncing back from losses and making sure they were prepared to crush the competition at states. Their coach, Elyse Garcia said, “…they were able to win seven straight games to take us all the way to regional semifinals after a loss. Talk about a great bounce back!” Incredible accomplishments have occurred this season. The best accomplishment was beating Land O’ Lakes High School not once, but twice. This took the Gators out of the playoff run. When asked what her best game was, Coach Garcia said, “…it would have to be between sweeping Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes this year. Those were both final four finalist last year, so to come in and sweep them felt really good. This shows that we have an incredible team. The girls brought out a lot of brooms this season, so it was definitely fun to watch and be a part of.” The team didn’t have it all sunshine and rainbows though. They had to deal with sick players and injuries. Learning to adjust with different line ups and positions. They suffered injuries from rolled ankles and banged up knees to concussions. However, Coach added, “…each one of those athletes came back stronger and ready to play.” The performance they are least proud of is at the Academy of the Holy Names tournament. The girls were missing 3-4 of their starters, so they had to step up and try their best against the Tampa Bay teams in the tournament. The most challenging game they had was Bishop McLaughlin. Coach Garcia explained, “Not because they couldn’t handle the level of play, but they had to deal with some adversity during that game along with it being Senior Night. But they faced it right on and came back being down two sets to none. It was great to see them come together as a team and finish a game. We for sure had the help of our amazing student section to keep them going!” The best part of this year was watching the progression of the team with amazingly talented Lady Seahawks. They soared through Conference Championships, District Championships, and made it all the way to Regional Semifinals. They had the hardest schedule in Pasco County Volleyball and maybe all of Tampa Bay. Coach expressed that “…they are a great group of talented athletes, and they are already ready to get working towards that State Final Four run.” The MVP’s this season were Amelia Snider for varsity and Erinn Larson for JV, and both are freshman! Coach Garcia proudly said, “It’s amazing to see that we have a lot of young talent amongst us.”
WINS & LOSES
