The King’s Academy girls varsity volleyball team has a 5-4 record so far this season, but that is not necessarily a reflection of the team’s overall athleticism, ability and talent. Instead, it’s a sign of the growing pains that many high school volleyball teams need to experience on their way to a strong and successful season.
This year’s team, under the guidance of head coach Bethany Avila and assistant coaches Haley Lane and Rachael Perla, was looking to improve its regular-season record entering Thursday night’s contest at Jupiter High School (4-1). That result was not available at press time.
This year’s team had a strong start to the season by winning its first three games. The big victory was a straight-set win (25-16, 25-11 and 25-15) against longtime girls volleyball powerhouse Lake Worth Christian School on Aug. 26.
The biggest learning experience of the season took place Aug. 30-31, when TKA traveled to Gainesville to participate in the Nike Tournament of Champions. There, the Lions played six matches in two days. They won two matches and lost four while playing teams from Kentucky, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and two from Florida. “Our strongest performances were our two wins against Venice High School and the team from Alabama (McGill-Toolon),” Avila said.
According to Avila, during the trip to Gainesville, everybody on the team learned a great deal about what it’s going to take for them to have a winning and memorable season.
“The Nike Tournament of Champions Southeast has the best high school teams in all of the southeastern part of our country, so it was great to play tight matches with all six teams we played in those two days, and it showed us some areas we needed to work on defensively,” Avila said. “It was a great test, and a huge part of our preparation for the rest of the season. The players came back ready to work harder.”
Moving forward, Avila is looking for on-the-court leadership from seniors Kelly Kinney and Sidney Saltalamacchia, as well as sophomores Miranda Knoll and Alanis Molina.
“Kelly, an outside hitter, is our on-court captain chosen by her teammates,” Avila said. “She is a steady, high-level player, humble but confident. She has the ability to calm the team, leads us in kills, and has the ability to rip from anywhere on the court. She played for USA’s U19 team this summer.”
Saltalamacchia is also a co-captain chosen by her teammates. “Sidney brings a consistently positive attitude, very athletic reflexes and makes amazing plays. She is a steady server and defender,” Avila said. “Miranda, an outside hitter, is a co-captain chosen by the team. She has the most powerful jump top serve in the county and can power a ball through or surprise you with off-speed shots.”
Molina plays the position of libero. “Alanis is an intense and smiley libero who makes all the plays and is a great passer and solid spiritual leader for the team,” Avila said.
Looking ahead, one of the more intriguing matchups will be Tuesday, Sept. 10 when TKA hosts Boca Raton Christian School, which has been the runner-up in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Class 2A competition in both 2022 and 2023. The game will start at 7 p.m.
The goal is to get ready for the post-season, which starts in mid-October with the Class 3A, District 14 tournament. The overall goal is to reach the FHSAA’s Class 3A state championship final four, set for Nov. 5-6 in Winter Haven.
Last year’s team advanced to within one game of reaching the Class 3A final four, losing to Lake Highland Prep in the Region 4 final.
Avila is committed to getting her squad to go further in this year’s state tournament.
“The players have set their sights on making it to the final four in November, and it will take us staying focused, lessening a few errors and tightening up our defense,” she said. “But I wholly believe we will. This group is special, united and mature.”
Of the 13 girls on TKA’s varsity roster, there is one eighth grader, one freshman, two sophomores, four juniors and five seniors. The main statistical leaders are two seniors (Kelly Kinney and Kiersten Henley) and a sophomore (Miranda Knoll).
