LAND O’ LAKES — Amelia Snider has been there before. Twice.
Both times it was short-lived, with the travel time quite possibly longer than the match. In back-to-back trips to the FHSAA volleyball state final four, the Seahawks have lost six straight sets, scoring a combined 26 points in the final two against eventual Class 6A state champion Oviedo last season.
That isn’t sitting well with Snider and the rest of her power-hitting teammates, who want not just to finally win a set at states, but to reach the championship match.
“My mindset,” said Snider, who has 931 career kills and is headed to Syracuse, “is to be more of a leader because I’ve been (to states as) a sophomore and as a junior the past two years, but now since I’m the senior, I’m the older one. I feel like I need to pick up the bigger role in leadership, and then I feel like, as a team, our mindset is just one thing at a time — just one set at a time, one point at a time. We’ve been there before and we know what it takes, we just have to do it one step at a time.”
The season opens Aug. 18 at home against Mitchell, the start of a schedule that includes out-of-county matches, the sprawling Florida GEM Classic and powerhouses such as Plant, Berkeley Prep and Calvary Christian. One step at a time will be the theme all season, according to eighth-year coach Elyse Garcia Zapata.
Smart scheduling aside, Garcia Zapata knows the team has to address its weaknesses to avoid another early exit if the Seahawks find themselves back at Polk State College in November.
“Our goal, every year,” said Garcia Zapata, who is 111-55 at Sunlake, “is to take the next step. I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating (not winning a set at states). It’s more we learned from our lessons and we have to figure out what’s gonna work best for us. What are we doing that’s not helping us succeed at that level? That’s something with watching the film from just last year that I’ve done a lot of over this break.
“Just pinpointing our weaknesses, because this has been our squad for the last two, three years.”
Snider certainly hasn’t been one of them, leading the offensive barrage last season with 377 kills to go with 26 aces and 30 blocks. She also has help.
Fellow seniors Erinn Larson (159 kills) and Cailyn Barnes (138) provide extra firepower at the net, and Barnes’ defense is stellar, with a team-high 75 blocks last season.
Depth is another plus for the senior-heavy Seahawks, and so is a sophomore transfer who made an immediate impact: setter Melia Black, who came over from nearby Carrollwood Day School. As a freshman with the Patriots, she had 37 kills, 24 aces and 9 blocks, but also 182 digs and a team-high 478 assists.
Safe to say Black will be setting up Snider all season.
“They were so welcoming right from the start,” Black said. “I was scared, but they just acted like I was everyone else and had already been here. They’re just so loving, and I loved that from the start.”
“She’s been a great addition and transitioned onto this team so smoothly,” Garcia Zapata said. “Can always use a talented setter, plus you know she was coached well (by longtime volleyball coach Doug Chinchar, in his final season) at CDS.”
With the opener two weeks out, Snider and Garcia Zapata both admit there’s work to be done. And both admit that, sure, making the state tournament again is written front and center on the team’s whiteboard — but so is winning a set once the Seahawks get there.
“Obviously you want to be the leader and obviously the goal is states,” Garcia Zapata said. “There are some fresh faces and Melia gives us a new look, especially on net, and we’re just working on new things and getting all us on the same page. We have team goals and personal goals and we want those to align.”
Snider agrees.
“We’ll see how that goes, but we’re also not worried about it,” she said. “We just need to do more bonding stuff and come in before or after practice and work with the (new) setter (Melia). But coming from CDS, she’s just going to make us better once we’re on the same page. Elyse has been getting us extra (work) with our 3 and 4 hitters, so I think getting those connections with (Melia) will really set our tone and our season.”