After years of getting close to the state volleyball semifinals, Mitchell finally broke through last year by advancing to the Class 6A state championship game against Jensen Beach. It ended up being a 3-0 loss, but the Mustangs still let it be known that they should be taken seriously for years to come.
Despite the loss of head coach Keith Paulk, as well as senior contributors Payton Murchie, Kayla Widera, Bailey Sassatelli, Patricia Borczyk and Rachel Kling, Mitchell returns plenty of talented players to make another run at state.
"It's a lot of pressure," junior outside hitter Jessie Mooney said. "If the team goes to states then they expect the team to go to states again this year. We have to be prepared to be the top seed that everyone wants to beat."
Mooney had a big sophomore season. She led the team with 336 kills. While her main setter, Murchie, graduated, senior Brie Tsamis saw plenty of action last season and has played with Mooney on summer club teams. Junior libero Mariella Haimes is a key returning starter who should anchor the defense.
"We all know each other really well," Tsamis said. "We play on the same club team or against each other. We do conditioning together."
While the team is familiar with each other, they do have to adjust to a new coach. Heidi Michaels takes over for Paulk. Most recently she was the athletic director at Anclote. Prior to that she was the volleyball coach at River Ridge.
Michaels is not completely unfamiliar with her team. Her husband, Jim, was principal at Mitchell from 2009 until he retired in January.
Michaels said she saw plenty of volleyball matches last year. She made mental notes watching the Mustangs, never thinking she would one day become the coach.
But when Jim retired and Paulk resigned, that left the door open. She could not teach or coach at Mitchell prior to that because Pasco County has a no nepotism rule.
"Right now it's all about them getting used to me and me getting used to them," Michaels said. "And honestly, watching them last year I knew they needed more mental acuity. They needed to believe in each other a little more. When it gets to push and shove they have to believe in each other. That's one of my goals. A lot of times I'll do that through fitness. I believe that if you want to quit then you quit and if you want to do it right you do it right. Same thing on the court.
"I also think they need to speed up their offense. That helps to offset the other team's defense. Those are two of my big goals this year."
Michaels certainly inherits a team with lots of potential. The Mustangs won 24 matches last season. Mooney is one of the top outside hitters in the area. While she expects to have another big season, she doesn't plan on worrying too much.
"I just play and have fun, I'm not thinking about stats," Mooney said. "I have the same duties as last year."
And if everything goes as planned, Mitchell should be a state contender again. Even though it's her first season, Michaels plans on keeping the Mustangs highly competitive.
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Explore all your options"I set my bar high," Michaels said. "My kids have worked really hard in the offseason so I expect a lot from them. We have the ability."
Contact Rodney Page at rpage@tampabay.com. Follow @RodneyHomeTeam.