CLEARWATER — Calvary Christian graduated eight players from a 30-win team that won the program’s second state championship. Twelve matches into the new season, the Warriors have yet to lose.
Calvary (12-0) has won 34 straight matches and is ranked No. 1 in the state by the FHSAA and No. 17 nationally by MaxPreps. It got there against a brutal schedule: Eight of its first 12 opponents are ranked in the state’s top 30, and only one took the Warriors to a fifth set.
The graduates included Sam Karjala, now at Indiana, and Nichole Kelly, now at Florida International. That left a younger roster, and a leadership job, for outside hitter Sophia Puleo, one of three seniors and a co-captain with setter Noelle Sarigumba.
“For me, leadership was the biggest thing,” Puleo said. “I talked to my fellow captain, figuring out how to lead this team and what they would need, because it’s a different dynamic than it was last year.”
That conversation led the team back to basics.
“We’re really focusing on the fundamentals, just having a strong foundation, because whenever the games get crazy and there’s a lot going on, coming back to the fundamentals of volleyball is huge,” Puleo said. “We repped out our passing, we repped out our serves ... we’re trying to be a really solid team that doesn’t get rattled.”
“Sophia has really stepped into the role of a leader for us in a lot of ways,” coach Kim Whitney said. “When she’s on the court, everyone listens to what she’s saying. She helps to direct the team, to lift them up. ... She’s like having another coach on the court. And not only does she have to speak on the court, she has to perform. That’s a different balance, and she’s been able to handle it.”
She has performed. The Baylor commit ranks among the state’s top 10 in kills with 207 and is among the team leaders in digs (127), serve receptions (134) and aces (9).
Freshman Lola Mogridge joins Puleo up front. She is new to Calvary but not to varsity volleyball.
“I played varsity last year at Berkeley Prep,” Mogridge said. “This is the place to be for volleyball, and that’s mostly why I came here.”
“I knew (Lola) was a very good player from playing against her, so her coming in has definitely been a great surprise for our program,” Whitney said. “She brings a high level of play to the game, and you wouldn’t know she’s a freshman from watching her. She brings a lot to our team in strength, resiliency. ... She’s able to push through circumstances.”
Mogridge has 151 kills. Sophomore Maya Talley has 97, and junior Olivia Pena has 36 kills and 19 blocks, giving opponents a versatile front row to defend from sideline to sideline.
“I’ve played all three (front-row) positions, and knowing how each works helps,” Pena said. “Playing in the middle is a very fast position, so working on speed has helped with that. I do a lot of running, agility stuff, and I do an app called Stroop, and it helps with your hand-eye coordination.”
In the back row, senior libero Olivia Badyna leads the team in aces (16), digs (213) and serve receptions (221). Sophomore Taylor Allcott adds 68 digs and 7 aces.
Whitney, who is also the school’s athletic director, builds a tough schedule on purpose.
“I told the girls that if you don’t allow these opportunities, if you don’t allow these challenges to expose things, we can’t learn anything,” she said.
Opening-day opponent Santa Fe, a Class 6A state semifinalist last season, is ranked No. 11. First Baptist Academy, a 2A state finalist, is No. 5. Tampa Prep, the 2A champion, is No. 15, and 4A finalist Merritt Island is No. 13.
This past week, the tests continued with a sweep over 7A finalist Plant, followed by Calvary’s own 10-team tournament: five matches in just over 24 hours.
“We had a lot of freshmen that are strong players that were able to come in and help the varsity,” Whitney said, pointing to Mogridge, Koral Whitney, Elly Massett, Sophia Kendrick and Briley Abbey. “We’re in the middle of our season, and we’ve got to test ourselves to see where we’re at right now. We saw some things (to start the year) that we needed to adjust and change, and so if we’re able to learn early enough, we can make changes, be prepared for the midseason and, hopefully, the postseason.”