By Kyle LoJacono
The Steinbrenner High volleyball team set the standard for athletics at the new facility by winning the first district championship for the school last year.
While another district crown is on the Warriors (8-4) to-do list, it is just one step toward their ultimate goal.
“We want to win at least 20 matches, win another district title, win the first regional championship for the school and get to the final four,” said Steinbrenner coach Staci Elias.
Everyone is reminded of the team’s accomplishment last year when they look at the banner in the Warriors’ gym, which helps fuel the squad.
“It was really cool to be the first team to have a banner,” said senior setter Erin McMurtry. “It was really big because we were a brand new school and we came out and showed that we’re new, but we have the power that huge schools do.”
One of the challenges in starting the program is many of the players came from different schools. Elias, who had never opened a volleyball program before, has had to use different methods to bring the separate players together as a team.
“She’s had us do teambuilding things to make us closer,” said senior outside and middle hitter Natalia Ortiz. “It’s helped us be more together out there.”
Ortiz played at Sickles High before coming to Steinbrenner, as did junior libero Cary Anne Bame. The Warriors lost a close match to the Gryphons last year, but avenged that loss in straight sets this season.
“It was fantastic,” Bame said of beating Sickles. “We came more prepared and were extremely mentally focused. We just knew we had to leave it all on the court. It wasn’t revenge, but it kind of was because we all think we should have beaten them last year.”
While most of the older players on Steinbrenner already had their match against their first school this year, McMurtry is still waiting to do the same. She attended Gaither High before Steinbrenner, but the difference is the Warriors beat the Cowboys last year in straight sets.
“I still know girls on their team and I played with some of them,” McMurtry said. “I get to play against the varsity team I would have been on. It’s a big match.”
Steinbrenner plays at Gaither Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
On the court, the action starts with Bame. As the libero, she is the first person to touch the ball and set up the offense, which she has done so far. Through the Warriors’ first 11 matches, she has a team-high 112 digs while adding 14 aces.
“I have a lot of passion playing libero,” Bame said. “I love the fact that I risk everything to dive and get that one ball and start the play off clean. If I don’t get to the ball it messes the offense up, so I have to go all out to get the dig … It’s kind of a part of me. I take care of the ball and give the others a chance to do their job.”
The next person to get the ball is McMurtry, who tries to put the ball in the right spot for the hitters to get an unblocked shot at a kill.
“We’ve got a great libero and setter and it makes things easier for us up front,” said senior outside hitter Kristen Liguori. “We count on them to get us the ball in a good spot.”
Liguori has taken advantage of the Warriors good passing, leading the team with 112 kills while adding six blocks. She also has 20 aces.
Ortiz is tied with McMurtry for most blocks on the team with nine. Ortiz also has 27 kills.
Elias said Bame, McMurtry, Ortiz and Liguori are the most vocal leaders on Steinbrenner, but another has done so more quietly.
“Megan Moyer has the highest hitting percentage of any of our hitters,” Elias said. “She doesn’t have all the stats like some of the other girls and she is very quiet. We call her the silent weapon because a lot of teams don’t realize how effective she is until we put her in and she gets a big kill.”
Moyer, a senior middle hitter, has a 45.1 hitting percentage and 47 kills, 11 aces and eight blocks.
While the goal of the team is to win, they have secondary ones that are nearly as important to them.
“They want to be thought of as more than just a volleyball team,” Elias said. “They did a lot to raise awareness of breast cancer.”
Last October they wore pink ribbons, shoelaces and socks to raise awareness of the disease. Plans are not yet set for this year, but Elias said it will be as visual as before.
-All stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches as of Oct. 4.
