The girls varsity volleyball team from Berean Christian School is having one of the best seasons in school history. With a strong 11-4 start to the regular season, the Bulldogs are focused on three objectives — continuing to build a strong Christian connection with one another, winning their first district title in school history and making a deep run in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s (FHSAA) Class 1A state playoffs.
Under the direction of head coach Sam Skelton, the team has been doing all the big things and little things this season that volleyball teams must do in order to succeed on the court. Their attention to detail started over the summer.
“This summer, I gave each member of the team goals to achieve as individuals, which are now helping them as individuals and as volleyball players,” said Skelton, a longtime South Florida high school and collegiate volleyball coach, now in his second year coaching girls volleyball at Berean.
One of the keys to coaching success for Skelton is that he doesn’t focus all his time on building each player’s volleyball skill set.
“Our strength is focusing on building our character,” Skelton explained. “I want to help these young ladies grow as strong women, who will make the right choices and do the right thing in life. I focus on developing servant leaders who will encourage, promote and support one another on the volleyball court and off the volleyball court.”
The highlight of the season, to date, was when the Bulldogs captured the championship of the Highlands Christian tournament held Sept. 6-7, when they won three games in two days.
The on-the-court leaders for Berean have been the team’s three senior co-captains, Lily Young, Evelyn Vejvoda and Malia Johnson.
Young is very comfortable along the net. She is an accomplished outside hitter and middle blocker. Vejvoda is the team’s leading outside hitter and right-side hitter, while Johnson is the team’s libero.
Young leads the team in kills, kills per set and hitting percentage. According to Skelton, she is the glue that keeps the team together.
“Lily holds the team together and keeps everybody accountable,” he said. “Lily, who is good enough to play college volleyball, truly plays volleyball for the love of the sport. Her first love is acting. We have a theme night for every home game, and Lily comes up with the various themes for the team.”
Another key player for Berean is sophomore Londyn Clark, who is leading the squad in digs and digs per set. Clark is second in five other statistical categories: kills per set, hitting percentage, serving aces, kills and receptions.
In late September, the Bulldogs had an impressive 10-1 record before they competed in the Palm Beach Classic Volleyball Tournament, held Sept. 27-28 in Palm Beach Gardens. Berean’s opponents were Spanish River, Palm Beach Gardens and a team from Puerto Rico. The Bulldogs were shorthanded, playing without three of their regulars. As a result, Berean lost all three games. That represented a learning experience for Skelton’s squad.
“The biggest thing the girls learned is about their attitude and approach to the game when there is chaos,” Skelton said.
The team bounced back on Oct. 1 with a three-set sweep (25-11, 25-9, 25-23) of Glades Day School in Belle Glade.
Prior to that road win against Glades Day, Skelton and his players gathered together and agreed to adjust their approach for the rest of the season. “We tried to decide what things we could do or stop doing that weaken us and focus on what we can do to make each other stronger,” Skelton said.
Looking forward, Skelton and his team are getting geared up for the FHSAA’s Class 1A, District 13 end-of-season tournament. If Berean wins its district tournament, which will be held Oct. 14-18, Skelton’s squad will advance to the FHSAA’s Class 1A state tournament. If Berean stumbles and loses in its district tournament, there’s a good chance that Berean will receive an at-large bid into the state tournament, based on its high ranking.
