Few political candidates can hope for the popularity Merritt Island Christian's volleyball team has among the school's female enrollment.
MIC's Stephanie Quinn (10) sets up
teammate Erica Robes (28) for a hit.
Few political candidates can hope for the popularity Merritt Island Christian's volleyball team has among the school's female enrollment.
A total of 50 girls -- close to half the enrollment in grades 7-12, MIC volleyball coach Laurie Haines said -- participate on the school's four volleyball teams. Two of those are middle-school squads, thus supplying Haines with a strong feeder system.
Perhaps the only thing the Cougars are lacking is a win at the state volleyball tournament. MIC (24-6) gets a fourth chance at that 10 a.m. Friday when it faces Warner Christian (24-1) in a Class 1A state semifinal at The Lakeland Center. The victor meets the winner between Bradenton Christian (23-7) and Lake Worth Christian (26-4) in the state final at noon Saturday.
A science teacher at the school, Haines is in her fifth season leading the Cougars after a successful volleyball coaching reign in New Hampshire. This is MIC's third state-tournament appearance since she took over the program. The Cougars qualified in 2004 and last season, when they lost a semifinal to eventual champion Bayshore Christian.
"Because we've done so well the last five, six years, the girls want to be part of the team," Haines said. "It's attractive to the girls."
So much so that Haines was forced in tryouts to make cuts -- not a problem at many schools.
The Cougars might be from a tiny school, but they attempted to schedule bigger. MIC, for instance, won two of three meetings this season with Melbourne Central Catholic, a Class 3A regional finalist.
Part of the reason for the success, Haines said, is that all but two of her 14 varsity players toiled on club teams this past year. Another is athletic versatility. Eight of the varsity players will slide into basketball after volleyball ends this weekend. Among the multi-sport stars are seniors Erica Robes and Aimee DeWitt, plus junior Stephanie Quinn.
Warner, however, will be a difficult chore. The Eagles lost only to 6A regional finalist Dr. Phillips and dropped sets to just three foes.
One, however, was MIC, which also lost in five sets this season to another Lakeland 1A qualifier, Lake Worth Christian. The Cougars also played the first time against Warner without Robes, one of the team's best hitters.
"We're going in with confidence," Haines said. "I feel like Warner is attainable."