MIA Wins Three of Five in Winter Haven

Marco Island Academy Coach Alyssa Stolinas knows she has a young team with potential. That’s why she fought to toughen up their schedule this season. The Rays got a taste of that schedule upgrade when they competed in the Sunshine State Athletic Association (SSAA) invitational tournament in Winter Haven on August 23-24.For the most part, the veteran coach liked what she saw from her young team, who won three and lost two, bowing to Oasis Charter in the silver final Saturday afternoon, 28-25, 25-16. 

For the record, MIA played three games on Friday, losing their opener to Indian Rocks Christian 25-20, 25-12.They bounced back with a 20-25, 25-17, 16-14 win over Merritt Island Christian and a  25-20, 22-25, 15-10 win over Southland Christian. On Saturday they beat Lakewood Ranch 25-14, 25-14, before dropping the finale to Oasis. 

The Rays started strong against Oasis but got the tables turned on them late in the opening game. 

“We had a four to five-point lead at one point,” Stolinas said, “and we let them come back. Oasis did a very good job of putting the pressure on us and we felt it.” 

MIA went from being up 21-20 to trailing 24-22. They fought back and had a game point at 25-24. Then Oasis went up 26-25 only to see the Rays tie it up at 26-26 before Oasis shut the door. The Rays couldn’t regain their momentum and never challenged in the second game.  

But there are lessons to be learned in defeat. That’s why Stolinas beefed up the schedule this season. 

"I think it teaches them that even though you have that four or five-point lead and get comfortable, something can happen just like that. Not everyone's going to give up. That's kind of what happened that first set against Oasis. I think we just got comfortable and relaxed. Then they kind of flipped the switch on us. Every loss we have we learn something from. That loss is always going to be there. That's going to be one that kind of sticks with us throughout the season. I think on paper we're the better team. In volleyball, you can have all the physical technique in the world and you can be athletic, but you have to have that mental part of the game. I think that's what we're really struggling with right now. When teams put pressure on us we're starting to crack." 

That’s where Stolinas believes her tougher schedule will pay off as the season wears on. 

"Having that tougher schedule is only going to help us,” she said. “In those moments of hardship, you come through. At the end of the day, winning and losing is one thing - everyone wants to win. But sometimes you learn more from your losses than you do from your wins.” 

Stolinas has a squad with no seniors. She counts on her three juniors,  niece Madison Stolinas, Medney Garraux, and Rylee Howard for leadership. But in Winter Haven, sophomore libero Sophia Ogden was counseling freshman Cambree Grensing. 

“These girls care about each other,” Stolinas said, "it's about volleyball, but it's more than that. So, it was nice to see Sophie take that role with Cambree being a freshman playing on varsity with all those emotions. Being new to the team and stuff. So having Sophie and the older girls step in and kind of really talk to her, I think that’s pretty awesome." 

Stolinas likes the way her freshmen are progressing. 

"They're getting better every game,” she said. "I think for the most part it just comes down to repetition, being a part of that environment. Varsity is a whole different level, and you very rarely have freshmen on a varsity squad. So, the fact that we're running with a couple of freshmen as key players, it's just going to take them some time to find the rhythm of the game. It is a fast paced game, especially with the type of schedule we're going to be seeing. Our freshmen, from day one till now, have improved so much. There's still so much more to grow. But they are growing. And it's awesome as the coach to sit back and kind of watch that happen. Watching Sophie grow from being the scared little freshman to someone that is helping out the freshmen. And watching my juniors step up and be leaders. Everyone, in their own way, is growing as the season goes on. But it's really special to watch the freshmen from start to finish gain that confidence.” 

The young Rays will have a baptism by fire as they face three-time state champ Seacrest, Community School, Canterbury, First Baptist Academy, and Naples during the regular season. 

"I talked with the girls on the bus ride home,” Stolinas said. "It was a long three hours. I just explained to them that how you feel now and how frustrated you are, we're learning from this. We'll get through it and it's not going to be our last loss of the season. I told them we're growing from these losses. We're learning, and that's what we strive for is to learn. The wins will come.” 

MIA played at Donahue Catholic on Tuesday and will travel to Community School on Friday for a 2:30 game. Then it's off to Naples for a 7:00 PM match on Monday, September 9. They return home to host Seacrest on Monday, September 16, at 7:00 PM.