After a brief hiatus as head coach, Sam Ovalle is back at the helm for Coral Shores’ volleyball team, and he could not be more excited about the team’s upcoming season.
“Win or lose, this team has great energy and great chemistry,” he said prior to preseason action Aug. 14 in Marathon.
A few minutes later, the Lady ’Canes defeated Key West 25-19 and 25-15, showcasing their teamwork in a collective effort to beat the Conchs. After the game, Ovalle noted the team’s confidence as part of the recipe for success, praising upperclasswomen Celene Walker, Violet Matthews, Shelby Lynn, Ivy Tiedemann and Niveah Howard for immediately stepping up and leading by example. That example was followed by the newest members of the team’s roster and the results were clear. Coral Shores is the team to beat this season when it comes to in-county court action.
The Hurricanes also defeated Marathon in two sets, 25-8 and 25-15. The Lady Fins roster is seven seniors strong, and despite the results of Thursday’s matches, the Dolphins are not despairing. Coach Kelley Cruz is focusing on using the results of last week’s preseason action to reach the team’s goals this year.
“The expectation of the season is to intentionally get better as individuals and as a team,” she said. Cruz hopes to balance hard work and fun with her team to produce results on the court. The Fins will be putting lots of miles on the school vans this year with a grueling road schedule.
“We have a lot of away games this season, so we need our community to come together and support these girls,” said Cruz. “They have worked hard all summer and are ready to play.”
After falling to the Hurricanes, Key West regrouped and defeated Marathon 25-8 and 25-15. Key West’s roster is senior-heavy and includes seven athletes in their final year of high school action, including last year’s Keys Weekly Player of the Year, outside hitter Audrey Smith. Three juniors and a pair of freshmen round out a roster of well-balanced and well-coached athletes.
In last week’s preseason test, the Conchs made it clear that they had all the technical skills and raw athleticism to go far this year. Once they settled in and found their footing, Key West put on a display of hard-hitting offense, and the Conch front has some great vertical ability for blocking.
Not present was Basilica School, which opens the season against Coral Shores on Thursday, Aug. 21. The Mariners were 7-12 last season, their first, and look to improve in year two under the leadership of coach Robert Wright. Basilica School went undefeated at the middle school level in 2021, and this season the core of athletes from that team return to the court as seniors, making for an interesting and exciting in-county series this fall.
Preseason classics ended Aug. 16, clearing the slates of all teams as they head into regulation play. Regular-season action winds down mid-October, when district playoffs begin. Key West, Marathon and Coral Shores will have opportunities to play for FHSAA state titles in their individual classifications. Key West, the largest school in the county, will play at the 4A level. Coral Shores is classified as 3A, while the much smaller Marathon is part of the Rural classification. Basilica School, still in the earlier stages of building a program, has not yet declared itself part of the FHSAA.
TRACY MCDONALD/Keys Weekly
