WESLEY CHAPEL — Team leader. On-court motivator. Energy driver.
Those sound like the traits of an upperclassman in high school or a veteran player at any level of sports.
But for Brooklynn Lynch, the minute she walked through the gym doors for volleyball practice last year as a freshman at Wiregrass Ranch High, coach Reagan Hopp saw Lynch had the mental and physical attributes necessary for those daunting roles.
“I told her right away that you’re a freshman but I expect you to be someone that we have to count on to put points away and I’m going to put a lot of pressure on you and you need to get through it,” said Hopp, who was also in her first year last season and knew Lynch was the key to her team’s success.
“She did a good job. And this year (as a sophomore) she has taken on that role even more. I will look at her and tell her you need to tell the setter to set you the ball and it’ll happen, and she’ll get us a point. That’s something she has really improved on, being a team leader skill-wise.”
Lynch led the Bulls to a 19-5 record that included an 11-match winning streak that was halted by Palm Harbor University in a close three-set defeat in the Class 6A-District 9 tournament semifinals October 14th.
The Bulls made the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in Class 6A, Region 3 and traveled to play top seed Venice in the quarterfinals on Oct. 21.
“It’s a learning curve for me, too,” a smiling Hopp said about the new state playoff system.
But Hopp was certain about the 5-foot-11 Lynch’s continued growth on the court this season, pacing the Bulls with an impressive 313 kills, 197 digs, 40 service aces and 38 blocks.
She is only the second player in Wiregrass Ranch history to eclipse 300 kills, joining Grace Olsen, who did it twice. Olsen had 305 in 2012 and a school-record 331 in 2013, a mark Lynch could challenge if a playoff run is in the Bulls future.
“She is one of our best servers and passers, and she is our best hitter” said Hopp, a scholarship volleyball player at Seton Hall and later as a graduate student earning her master’s degree at Saint Leo University. “We do a lot of crossing patterns, which is a high-level skill, and Brooklyn is one of our go-to players for that. She’ll go in and run after a ball in the middle of the court, and no matter if she has three blockers up, one blocker, no blocker, she puts the ball away almost 90 percent of the time.”
Lynch, who also played at nearby John Long Middle School, said she felt some pressure becoming a team leader so early in her prep career. However, she eventually realized what she brought to the team on and off the court.
“There was a little pressure, but I got used to it,” said the reserved Lynch, who earned second team All-Conference honors as a freshman. “I like being able to hype up the team whenever we’re down a couple points.”
Fellow sophomore Tanner Henderson has played club volleyball with Lynch since they were 12. She said she appreciates Lynch’s positivity.
“When I’m down on the court she makes me laugh and lifts me up,” Henderson said. “And she’s improved her game every year. Her topspin at the service line has gotten better.”
Bright future
Hopp said she was pleased with her team’s season and knows they have a bright future.
“It’s been a really awesome season for us,” Hopp said. “Everyone played a dynamic role, even as roles kept changing. We did a really good job coming together as a team. I always harp on energy; that energy can win a volleyball match whether you’re on the court or not. It helps them enjoy the sport and build team dynamic. Especially when you are on a winning streak because it helps you keep that mentality.”
The Bulls five losses this year are against teams that are playoff-bound and currently a combined 102-28. Getting over that hump to be included in that group will be the next challenge for the young Bulls.
“We have youth. But with that comes the mental aspect that we haven’t played in that many higher-level matches yet and they have and that showed a bit toward the end when we got a little frazzled,” Hopp said. “But that’s something we can learn from moving forward in the next several years.”
Leading the way will be Lynch, who is already being heavily recruited by many colleges.
“I didn’t want the season to end. I just love playing,” she said with a broad smile.