By Matt O'Hern

Sports writer

The volleyball banner atop the gymnasium at Merritt Island Christian School will require another addition this year, thanks to the recent accomplishments of the Lady Cougars.

Last Friday, MICS defeated Temple 25-21, 25-22 and 25-13 for a clean sweep in the district championship game. Amanda Weekley's 14 kills and three blocks propelled MICS to the win.

"Amanda has stepped up her game tremendously," coach Laurie Haines said. "She's one of the top middle blockers we've ever had. She's one of the top three I've coached, and I've been coaching for 20 years."

Bryn Hafer also contributed a great performance against Temple and finished with 22 digs. She is a former outside hitter who moved to libero and adapted to her role as the season progressed.

"She's a very tough girl on defense," Haines said. "We moved her over and she's been phenomenal."

Winning the district championship was one of several notable feats by the 2006 Lady Cougars. Earlier this season, MICS also clinched its fourth consecutive Mid-Florida Christian Conference championship. MICS entered the state playoffs this week with a record of 22-6, and five of the six losses were to teams that also made it to the playoffs.

Haines has coached the Lady Cougars for three of the past four district championship seasons, and she has witnessed her group develop into one of the most dominant private school programs in the county.

Leaders such as senior Jessica Quinn have devoted extra practice time to strengthen their skills and elevate the team's overall performance. Coach Haines believes that the strong commitment from her players is the key to maintaining a strong program and she has seen an increased effort from the 2006 squad.

"Our kids just really commit and work very hard," Haines said. "We don't have a huge pool to draw from. They probably work harder than any team I've ever had because so many of them are new. Rather than rebuilding, they reloaded, which was a surprise."

With a nearly identical record as the 2005 team, the 2006 Lady Cougars have shown signs of improvement since last year. Only time will tell if this year's squad will finish as strongly the 2004 team that advanced all the way to the final four.

"They're just as good as last year's team," Haines said. "I would say we're close to the 2004 team, but I don't think I have quite as much depth as I had then."