With eight returning players, there is no doubt that this year’s Trinity Prep Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team will be a force to reckon with. Led by Coach Jeff Wilson, the Saints hope to place in Districts and make it to Regionals for the third consecutive year.
Five of the eight returning players— Katie Lowe, Alice Beneke, Molly Antoon, Julia Malone and Tori Silberbusch— are seniors this year and are looking to create a memorable and successful final season. All five seniors have been playing volleyball throughout middle and high school, so experience is not a problem for this team.
“Our seniors lead by example through their play on the court and their attitudes during practice,” Coach Wilson said. “We demand no less from them.”
The seniors have already exemplified strong leadership for the younger girls on the team, especially for the two freshmen, Teagan Sullivan and Cori Gray.
“Being one of the two ‘babies’ on the team isn’t so bad,” Sullivan said. “I really look up to everyone that’s older and look forward to the years ahead of me.”
The seniors take their leadership role seriously by always reaching out to the underclassmen.
“I think the biggest way we seniors have acted as leaders and examples to our younger players is by letting all of them know we’re always there for them as teammates but also as friends,” Silberbusch said.
As far as team chemistry goes, the girls are incredibly close-knit. A regular game day consists of a Chik-fil-A team lunch in Physics teacher Mike Arney’s room where the girls express their excitement for the upcoming game, listen to music and exchange bows to put in their hair. With regular rap battles and “slurpee runs” before games, the entire team gets along exceptionally well.
“We knew it was going to be a smooth- sailing season when everyone agreed on what genre of movie we were watching while at our first team sleepover,” Silberbusch said.
As much as they wish it were all fun and games, when it comes time for playing, the girls understand the need to be focused in order to be successful. A regular practice for the varsity volleyball team starts with a warm-up routine that includes rapid jumps, sprints and stretches the players often dread but know are beneficial to their strength on the court. Following the routine are ball-control drills, specific skill work by position and competitive games to trigger match-play.
Their biggest games include tough district match-ups against Bishop Moore, ranked second in Central Florida and Lake Highland, ranked eighth. The Saints defeated Orangewood, a major rival, on Sept. 3 at Orangewood. The girls eagerly anticipate advancing into Regionals and improving as teammates and players on the court.
