MIA Hosts Volleyball Preseason Classic

The Marco Island Academy (MIA) gymnasium was alive with bumps, sets, and spikes as the host Rays invited Lely, Community School, and Naples to their gym for a final preseason tune-up on August 13 and 15.

"We call it the Preseason Classic,” said Rays head coach Alyssa Stolinas, who organized the event. Stolinas enjoyed having four volleyball teams in Marco’s gym for the first time.

"I think it's great,” Stolinas said, "I think it was cool to have everyone come to our gym. I'm biased, but I think our gym is pretty awesome. I think it's cool that we get to see the competition that we're going to see later on in the season.”

The Rays visit Community School on September 6 and Naples on September 9. And it’s always exciting when MIA and Lely square off, considering both schools are populated with plenty of Marco Islanders.

“It was cool to just have Lely here,” Stolinas said. "You know, they're in our backyard. All those girls are from this area. So, it was a great experience to have everyone come down to Marco. It’s something that we look forward to doing again.”

Not surprisingly, the highest energy level was during the MIA-Lely match that opened the two-day classic. Stolinas said her team came out nervous.

“We were a little rocky,” Stolinas said. “We have three freshmen that play big roles for us. Coming from middle school to high school, that's just a huge jump in itself. And we drew a bunch of fans. So, I think they just had a lot of pregame nerves on Tuesday.”

Lely, on the other hand, came out strong. The Trojans took the first game, 25-23, and celebrated wildly. MIA bounced back and dominated the second game, 25-9. The deciding third game to 15 went into overtime, with the Rays winning 19-17.

"I'm really proud of my girls,” said Lely coach Theresa Keegan. "First game of the season. Not tons of practice. Not practicing every day over the summer because of traveling and all that. So, I'm really proud of how they came out today. Tough opponent, tough atmosphere. And they did not bow their heads once. They're walking out of here with their heads high. They defended very well against one of the best hitters in the whole county (MIA’s Medney Garraux). So, I think the future is looking bright after this game."

While the MIA-Lely match was hotly contested, for the most part the coaches were trying out different lineups as they prepare for the regular season.

“In all honesty, it doesn't go on our record, so it doesn't matter a whole lot,” said Stolinas. “In preseason, everyone is trying to figure out a lineup. You're trying to get the team to learn how to play together and to figure out a lineup that works well.”

Stolinas has five freshmen on her varsity roster. She said each player had highlights.

“They all stepped up,” Stolinas said. "They all had their moments. Every single one of them had bad moments and every single one of them had good moments. We're still fiddling with our lineup to find one that really sets us up for success later on, once we start playing those high level teams.”

Keegan was happy with what she saw from her squad.

"I came in thinking that they could compete just as well as Marco,” Keegan said. "I think that my girls just need to dig a little deeper. But I knew they could do what they did.”

MIA opens their regular season by hosting Mason Classical Academy on Thursday, August 22 at 6:00 PM. Then they head to Winter Haven for a Sunshine State Athletic Association (SSAA) tournament.

“It's a five-game guarantee,” Stolinas said. “We're actually in the top division based off our MaxPreps rankings from last year.”

Lely travels to LaBelle on August 22 for their season opener.