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Volleyball extra

The Super Seven

By BOB PUTNAM, LAURA LEE
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 17, 2002

With last week's ranking in parenthesis

1. Clearwater (1): Although the Tornadoes went 2-3 at the Tampa Prep Invitational, they continue to be on a roll against county competition.

2. Seminole (3): The Warhawks have won 16 of their past 17 matches and avenged losses to district foes Northeast and Boca Ciega the past three weeks.

3. Countryside (4): A big win over East Lake helped the Cougars gain confidence heading into district tournament.

4. East Lake (2): After losing five of their past eight matches, the Eagles will try to bounce back with a win over Clearwater on Thursday.

5. Northeast (5): By clinching the No. 1 seed in the district and earning a berth in the PCAC championship match, the Vikings have accomplished what they wanted during the regular season.

6. Tarpon Springs (6): The Spongers wrapped up play against county competition Wednesday and can now focus on their district counterparts in Pasco.

7. Boca Ciega (7): The Pirates lost their past two district matches and dropped to the No. 3 seed, are still are a dangerous team.

Five to Watch

1. Lizzy Giroud, Shorecrest: One of the leaders on a team adjusting to a new coach and a new offense, Giroud came through with a big win against Canterbury last week.

2. Rose Nichols, Clearwater: A holdover from the last Tornadoes team to win a state title in 2000, the senior defensive specialist was vital in wins against West Palm Beach King's Academy and Spruce Creek at the Tampa Bay Invitational.

3. Andrea Bubolo, Tarpon Springs: The senior setter has been a key player on defense and is averaging a team-high 12 digs per match.

4. Amanda Stephens, Countryside: A reserve player, Stephens came off the bench against East Lake and gave the Cougars another offensive weapon besides Beverly Stasis.

5. Carrie Bariteau, Northside Christian: The lone senior starter among five sophomores, Bariteau has given the Mustangs the experience needed to pull off four straight wins.

Big-league Coach

Fonda Huff is going through a slight withdrawal from baseball.

Huff, the Northeast junior varsity coach, went to almost every Devil Rays home game this season, unless a Northeast match went a little long.

"Sometimes I showed up late," Huff said.

Huff moved to St. Petersburg four years ago to be closer to her son, Rays first baseman Aubrey Huff. She lived and worked here while he was still on the road playing in the minors. He was called up to the Rays in 2000.

While Aubrey was in college at the University of Miami, Huff, then a high school teacher and coach in Fort Worth, Texas, traveled to one game a month.

When her daughter, Angela, told her she was moving to St. Petersburg to go to college, Huff decided to move as well.

Northeast coach Sean O'Flannery said he doesn't know what he'd do without her. Huff is in charge of working with the younger players and teaching them the fundamentals of competitive volleyball.

"Fonda comes in and is patient as can be," O'Flannery said. "She really breaks it down."

For now, Huff gets her baseball fix from watching the playoffs on television. She remembers Aubrey playing against some of the players in college and in the minors.

"It's a small little baseball world," she said. "It makes it more interesting."

Signature Win

Although Countryside has one of the best records in the county (16-5), it still was searching for a win against one of the top teams in its district, East Lake and Clearwater.

The Cougars got it last week by knocking off the Eagles, the defending district champion and state semifinalist, in three games.

"That win was a big confidence booster for us," Countryside coach Kaylyn Bayly said. "We needed the girls to believe in themselves and it was an emotional thing for them to execute and play a good match."

After winning the first game, the Cougars dropped the next one and went to a decisive third game against East Lake for the eighth time in the past nine meetings.

"I'm sure some people thought after we won the first game, we'd lay down in the next two," Bayly said. "But the kids fought back and didn't quit."

Led by the serving of Amanda Stephens and the hitting of Beverly Stasis, Countryside prevailed in a tight third game to beat East Lake for the first time in the past five meetings.

"The intensity was a lot better than some of our other matches," Bayly said. "The effort we had will help us as long as we can keep it up."

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