MIA Coach Sees Team Turning Corner

Nothing like a 12-hour day on the courts to produce a turnaround in a young team. The MIA volleyball team played five matches in 12 hours Saturday, finishing sixth out of 16 teams at the Estero Wildcat Invitational. But most importantly, Rays coach Alyssa Stolinas saw her young team come of age. 

“We just looked like a completely different team,” Stolinas said. "I told the girls I was really proud of them. They just came out and they fought. We played Bonita, the score was 25-15, 25-11. We played really well there. And then Charlotte, they're a reputable volleyball program." 

Stolinas can’t help but be excited about the improvement of her team, comprised completely of underclassmen. 

"Every day, I think, you know, they're getting better,” she said. "That's kind of what we expect from our incoming freshmen, as the season progresses, they are getting better.  

Riley High is one of the freshmen Stolinas is excited about. 

“I've got Riley High playing middle for me,” Stolinas said. “She's growing tremendously. She actually had a couple nice blocks against Seacrest. She had some great blocks this weekend. She's blocking really well for us. I love the kid to death. She's a go-getter. She's picking it up super fast. It's actually fun to watch her because she doesn't get intimidated. I think it's just her personality. She doesn't get rattled. She just goes out there and she does her job. And every game I just see more and more growth in her. So, it's pretty special." 

Stolinas is also seeing growth in freshman Cambree Grensing and the rest of her freshmen. 

“They're all growing game by game,” Stolinas said, "it's just getting that repetition. Cambree's so quiet, but she's such a little firecracker at the same time. She always wants to learn. She always wants to grow. Even this weekend I told her I was really proud of her. She’s starting to read the hitters. And she's really starting to understand the flow of the game." 

Stolinas appreciates her big gun, too. Junior outside hitter Medney Garraux is among the state leaders in kills and kills per game. Opponents know her by name now. 

“This weekend,” Stolinas said, "Medney went to hit, and the other team was like, 'Medney, Medney,' screaming her name. And she said, ‘Coach, why are they yelling my name?' And I was like, ‘Well, one, they're trying to intimidate you. And two, they know you're our option. But hey, they know your name, you should like the fact that these players know your name. That's pretty cool. I told her the fact that people are starting to know who you are should make you feel good about yourself. And don't let anyone take that away from you." 

Overall, Stolinas is happy with the way the week and weekend went for her team. 

“It was a great week,” she said. "I can't complain. We had a great time. We performed well. We obviously had our moments that we still need to learn from. But at the end of the day, we played well.” 

MIA (11-7) hosted district rival South Florida Christian Monday, then travel to Mason Classical on Thursday before returning home Monday, Sept. 30, to host rival First Baptist Academy at 7:00 PM.Stolinas can hardly wait to see what the future holds for her Rays as tournament play is just around the corner. 

 “We obviously have the three juniors (Garraux, Madison Stolinas, and Rylee Howard),” Stolinas said, “but other than that, we're full of sophomores and then I think we have more freshmen on the team than anything. I think it's a great thing that we're so young. I think this weekend was kind of our turning point. I think it's pretty special to watch unfold.”