Leon volleyball pickup 10th win of season, beat Lincoln 3-1 | Thursday's volleyball scores
It has been anything but a normal season for the Leon volleyball team.
Having to play home games about eight miles away from Leon at Montford Middle School while the Lions gym is renovated, experiencing a coaching change weeks before the start of the season and wanting to prove the team is better than last season's 6-20 record, Leon has experienced a lot.
"I've never seen a team closer than us," said junior Aditi Mukhirala "We go to each other for everything, and no matter what's pushed on us we know how to overcome it. We've overcome so much adversity even before this year, and we know we have each other to rely on."
Despite the unorthodox start, Mukhirala and the Lions are sitting at 10-5, beating Lincoln 3-1 (25-19, 25-17, 19-25, 25-22) Thursday night. Leon senior Amelia Haggins got the match-winning block against the Trojans in a tightly contested fourth set, and she feels the ability to be ready for the big moment comes right from the practice court.
"It's really nice and I think it's a testament to the work we put in," Haggins said. "Everybody sees the fun plays, the blocks, the kills, but they don't see us grinding it out in the weight room and spending three hours in the gym over the summer."
"It comes from the work we put in and it really helps us in moments like that."
More volleyball: Big Bend 10: These are the areas top volleyball teams, players as playoff's near
Winning at the net
One of the highlights of the Lions team this season is the ability to win at the net.
Against Lincoln, sophomore Kenadie Greene, Haggins and Mukhirala were able to find different ways to attack the Trojans at the net. On the defensive side, the Lions were able to get a hand on Lincoln's efforts and come up with blocks in big moments.
"I think it just goes back to our friendship and chemistry," Mukhirala said. "I can look across the court and I can see Amelia and I know she's gonna put the ball down. I look at my setter and know she's gonna set the ball, I look at my Libero and I know she's gonna pass. It always goes back to our relationship and our trust in each other to put the ball away."
In the 15 games Leon has played this season, its attacking of the net has resulted in 418 kills, with an average of 11.6 kills per set, 3.2 higher than the national average. Haggins, who leads the team in kills with 126, feels the Lions had the weapons to produce at this level last season, but this year everything is clicking.
"We just have so many weapons that I think we couldn't really use last year and utilize," Haggins said. "But now those people and those weapons are finally materializing and it has been really great."
Motivated to win
Leon has been one of the most successful volleyball programs in the Big Bend for the better part of a decade, making seven state final fours since 2011, and winning two state titles. However, last season the Lions missed out on a regional tournament appearance for the first time in over a decade.
Haggins was part of last season's 6-20 team, and she said it has been one of the biggest things that has motivated the team to turn it around this season.
"It's a big factor for us.," Haggins said about how last season has impacted the team. "It's just one of those things where we don't try to talk about our record, it's more like a checklist. We check things off if we beat our schedule, get gold in a tournament or beat a good team."
Winning four of the last five matches, the Lions are gaining momentum ahead of district tournament play. There is always high expectations for Leon volleyball, especially in the postseason, and Haggins feels this group is motivated to prove last season wasn't the standard.
"It's really our driving factor and it's been our driving factor this entire year," Haggins said.
Thursday's volleyball scores
Wakulla Christian School 3-2 Wewahitchka (25-15, 20-25, 18-25, 25-19, 15-11)
Florida High 3-1 Tampa Prep (25-17, 25-17, 27-29, 25-12)
St. John Paul II 3-0 Marianna (25-21, 25-21, 25-22)
Wakulla 3-0 Aucilla Christian (25-9, 25-13, 25-18)
Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon volleyball focusing on bounce back season, beat Lincoln 3-1
