By Marshall Tempest
Reporter
This week, the Apopka Blue Darter boys volleyball team graced the court for the first time since spring 2024. They are looking to bounce back from their exit in the regional semifinal of the 2024 FHSAA Boys’ Basketball State Tournament.
Apopka started the season strong with a 3-0 victory over Forest Lake Academy, followed by another 3-0 win over the city rival Wekiva Mustangs on Tuesday, March 4.
Catching up
The Apopka boys fell to Winter Park in the second round of the state tournament, 3-0, to close out the 2024 season. Winter Park went on to win the whole thing, becoming state champions. The boys are off to a quick start in 2025, but they do not have the same arsenal they did last year.
The boys were a powerful team last year—thanks in large part to nine seniors. Those departures leave nine spots to fill this year, when the team has eight seniors. So while they are still senior-heavy, they now have to replace the level of talent they had last year.
Another change this year is the coaching staff. Brian Mater and Sarah Egbers will be the head coaches of the boys volleyball team. The two previously coached the girls varsity team and decided to take over the boys program last year. But both Mater and Egbers have high hopes for this season.
“To be honest with you, we have both set the bar very, very high for this team,” Mater said after the team’s win over Wekiva. “We had the girls last year, so when we decided we were going to take on the boys, we had high expectations. It wasn’t just to get in the state tournament and exit early. It’s to win the whole thing.”
Master and Egbers agree that the team’s talent this year is fantastic, including one member who is committed to a Division I program. Mater said that once the team starts to click, everything will work out. He said he had been nervous after watching the boys practice for the past few weeks, but after seeing what they are capable of when they put their heads down and get to work, he is still very confident in their success this season.
“I think we’ll be in good shape once the team starts clicking,” he said. “We want to revamp the Apopka volleyball program. We want to put it on the map. We don’t want it to be just a team that makes the state tournament and exits. We want to be a contender each and every year for both the boys and the girls teams.”
Mater said he already sees two clear-cut leaders on the team.
“I see two leaders that have stepped up right away: Logan (Rogers) and Caden (Magatha),” Mater said. “They are both leaders on and off the court, and that’s what a real leader is to me.”
The 2025 season
The boys opened the season against Forest Lake Academy (FLA) on Monday, March 3, and defeated the Panthers in three straight sets, leaving with a 3-0 win. Apopka beat the Panthers 25-21 in set one, 25-20 in set two, and 25-18 in set three.
After their game against FLA, Apopka hosted their in-city rivals, the Wekiva Mustangs. In this game, Apopka showed its ability to turn it off and on. The Blue Darters looked a bit slow at the start of each set but got sharper as the sets continued.
“Tonight, we were lacking a bit,” Mater said after defeating Wekiva. “We were slow. We played a lot better last night against FLA.”
Mater went on to say that he attributes the team’s slow start to the absence of fans in the gym, which was caused by the cancellation of the junior varsity game and the rescheduling of the varsity game.
“They feed on the energy from the crowd,” Mater said. “They feed off the energy of one another. When you don’t have both of those working together, it shows – and it showed tonight.”
Despite their shortcomings, the Blue Darters won the game in three straight sets. Apopka beat Wekiva 25-17 in set one, 25-15 in set two, and 25-17 in set three.
Apopka has one more game this week: Thursday, March 6, against Lake Howell at home, which will take place after the Chief’s press deadline. The Blue Darters will be Lake Howell’s second match-up of the season, as their first was on Wednesday, March 4, against University High School.
The Apopka Chief is an award-winning weekly newspaper serving the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923.
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