By Kyle LoJacono
On Aug. 1, 15 young ladies piled their way into a brightly lit gym. Some of them know each other like sisters, while others have barely met, but all have one thing in mind.
Suddenly the 15 come together as one in a huddle and break with a mighty shout of “Quistas.” It’s the first day of practice for the Pasco-Hernando Community College volleyball team; the defending National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Division II national champions.
The Conquistadors posted a 36-7 record in 2010 en route to becoming the first Florida team to win the Division II title. It is also the first athletic national championship of any kind for the school.
“We had a great group of girls coming into last season,” said PHCC coach Kim Whitney. “The year before they came up with goals and were literally one off of everything. It was kind of funny because it was in tournaments, GPA, everything. Just one off. It was in their mind coming into last year that we were that close. The good thing was, and this is really rare for a two-year school, most of the players were back. It drove them the whole year.”
Sophomore outside hitter Torii Koester was a part of the squad that brought home the crown.
“It took a lot of hard work, but it was a lot of fun,” Koester said. “I’ve never been on a winning team before, so to accomplish every single one of the goals last year was very special.”
The squad wanted to set the same goals as prior to the 2010 championship season.
“I wouldn’t let them do that because this team needs to find its own identity,” Whitney said. “Something that is different for them. We’ll keep those things a secret for now, but the big thing is they all want back-to-back national championships.”
Koester set a personal goal as well.
“Now I’m one of the sophomores and I know I have to take on more of a leadership role,” Koester said. “In fact that is one of the goals I set for myself. I want to help the younger players because I struggled a lot with the difference in college from high school.”
Whitney said the team will lean on leadership from returners like Koester and team captain Jessica Imbimbo. The right side hitter does not shy away from pressure of being the reigning national champs.
“Because we are defending our title, it just puts that much more pressure on us,” Imbimbo said. “We’re held to a higher standard now. We have a target on our back whether we like it or not. Personally I like that pressure, because that’s when I get the most out of myself.”
Imbimbo can hardly contain herself when talking about getting back to the national tournament.
“Just the thought of getting back to that national championship; I just can’t even put it into words how much I want to get back,” Imbimbo said. “Feeling that moment and being there. It’s just indescribable and I want to share that with this team again this year.”
Imbimbo knows it will be tough to get back to that point given the ever-changing nature at a two-year school like PHCC
“Becoming a team is a huge part, and last year we did that right away,” Imbimbo said. “We fell into that right away and kept becoming closer all the way through. We kept working for each other and making each other better. I think that’s why we made it to national championship.”
Imbimbo will also be counted on to produce on the court as well as in her leadership role. She posted 263 kills, 298 digs, 48 blocks and 28 aces, all the most of any returning player. Koester had 119 kills, 117 digs, 13 aces and 11 blocks last season.
The squad returns one middle hitter, Quynn Fonseca and her 20 blocks, 23 kills and 27 digs from 2010. The Conquistadors also add freshmen Azya Glass and Lauren Wixted in the middle.
PHCC will need to find replacements at setter and libero. Morgan Hill was the primary libero in 2010, putting up a team-high 955 digs while adding 42 aces.
Ashley Seal was not only the starting setter last year, but was also the Conquistadors team captain. She led the squad with 1,471 assists and 83 aces plus 375 digs, 105 kills and 59 blocks. She was also named the MVP of the NJCAA national tournament.
“I look up to Ashley,” Imbimbo said. “She’s one of my role models in what she did on the court, off the court and in the classroom. She is a very special person and I want to take what I learned from watching her into this year.”
There are still questions with the defending national champs, but the enthusiasm is running high with the players.
“I’m so excited for this season,” Koester said. “I can’t wait for the season to start. I have goosebumps right now just talking about it.”
