The Apopka High School girls volleyball program held fall tryouts last week and made selections for its freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams.   

Coaches Brian Mater and Sarah Egbers said they are excited about the future of the program following a significant increase in turnout at tryouts this year. From just over 50 girls last year to more than 70 candidates this year, the growth in the community’s confidence in the program is evident, following a few years of lackluster performance.   

“I’m excited to see for years to come,” Egbers said. “Jumping up that much just from one year was amazing. I was also impressed with the talent and the girls that came in; it just made it difficult to cut anyone.”   

The varsity girls’ volleyball team has not had a winning season since 2018, but Mater and Egbers said they think this year might be the year of change. They said one difference this year is the belief  in the program from their players and parents.   

Mater said the program has experienced significant instability in the head coaching position since its last winning season. Because of this, the community lacked a lot of trust, belief, and confidence in the program. Now, entering their second season coaching the program, Mater and Egbers are seeing their efforts to create a serious program bear fruit.   

“I think the trust and the energy are there,” Mater said. “I want to be a championship-caliber team every year. I want to make the playoffs every year. I want to win Metros. I want to hold ourselves to the highest standard we can, and I think we can now. But I want to get [to the playoffs],  at least to get the opportunity to showcase what we have.”  

Mater and Egbers said that communication will be key to the program’s success this year. Two of the team’s senior leaders this year, Olivia Ramos and Anais Ruize, also agreed.  

“We have some really good players, so all we have to do is create that bond and that chemistry to have a great season,” Ramos said.  

Ruize said her goal and the team’s goal is to work harder and get better. She said this year’s focus will be on communication because that’s where she said she feels they have lacked over the last few seasons.   

“Communication is always key,” Ruize said. “We want to work harder and get better every year so we can get closer to being one of the top ten [volleyball] schools. Even if last year wasn’t our best record, we can still do better every day.”  

Ramos and Ruize said that they have a great feeling about this season because of the bond they already share.   

“Having a good bond with the girls can affect the season too,” Ruize said. “This group of girls is amazing. I love them all. I think we have a strong bond, even though most of us just met each other last year. We’re like sisters, and once we step on the court, we’re all excited.”  

Egbers and Mater stated that little progress has been made beyond individual skill assessments in the past few weeks. Now that the teams have been finalized, they can start working on team drills. But before that, Egbers wanted the girls to focus on becoming a team.   

In one of last week’s practices, after the teams were finalized, the day was filled with team-building exercises and games focused on teamwork and communication. Egbers told me that’s where it starts. The bond and camaraderie created at practice and outside the gym are what keep a team together in the game.  

Mater said he is committed to turning this program into one of the best in the state, and he knows it won’t be easy. However, he’s willing to take the necessary steps to make it a reality, even if that means making some hard decisions.   

“The competition here is huge,” Mater said.  “I mean, this year I cut girls that were on the freshman team last year that I moved up to JV – that I expected to be better – and they weren’t. When we have to pull girls that played on varsity last year and move them down, yeah, it’s tough, but if it’s what it takes, then so be it. I wanted them to be the foundation.”   

Egbers and Mater both agreed that they will be pushing the teams harder this year. Preparation, conditioning, and communication will be the difference maker for the Apopka girls’ volleyball program this year.  

“Back when I was racing cars and winning, I didn’t win on Saturday night,” Mater said. “I won in the garage Sunday morning, when we were tearing the car apart. So, we have to work out in the gym and do cardio. We have to do all of it.   

The girl’s volleyball season starts next week with two preseason games for the varsity team only. On Tuesday, August 12, Apopka will travel to Edgewater High School to face Cypress Creek. On Thursday, August 14, Apopka will travel to Edgewater again to face Boone.   

The regular season starts on Monday, August 18, with the Blue Darters hosting the University High School Cougars.