NEED TO KNOW: O'Brien is one of four county players returning from last year's all-conference team, and she and Stanjeski are among the county's most experienced middle combos. The Bucs add sisters Jelena and Jasmina Vuksanovic of Bosnia - the first a senior who will help as a libero, the latter a sophomore who will be setter. COACH SAYS: "I definitely have some positive feelings. There's a good mixture of experience and youth and they all love the game of volleyball."
HUDSON
COACH: Linda McQuade (15th season)
LAST SEASON: 24-5, reached region final, won district, tied for SAC crown
NEED TO KNOW: Last year's six seniors went out strong, reaching the region final, but Hudson hasn't missed a beat, posting an impressive three-game sweep of Mitchell. Four freshmen are among the 14 players on roster, notably Lara Metz, who starts at left outside hitter, and Mary Cook, who likely will take over for four-year starter Strawser next season at setter. COACH SAYS: "I think they can definitely get to regionals if they keep working, but if they don't, they know it's not going to be easy."
NEED TO KNOW: The Gators return two from last year's varsity, but Elias, a former assistant women's basketball coach at USF, is optimistic about her first year, even in a stacked four-team district. Newhall, who played club ball with the Tampa Sandspurs, should be the primary attacker, but 6-foot freshman middle blocker Kayli Keough has impressed enough to move into the starting lineup. COACH SAYS: "If our district is going to be anything like (the first match against) Mitchell, I know we're in for a long season."
MITCHELL
COACH: Joe Dixon (fifth season)
LAST SEASON: 18-10, tied for SAC crown, reached region semifinals as district runnerup
KEY RETURNEES: Kari Wiedinger, Sr., MH/OH; Shannon Stash, Sr., MH; Kelli Wiedinger, So., S.
NEED TO KNOW: Graduation hit the Mustangs hard, taking Times county player of the year Katelen Dixon, as well as setter Ashley Zappacosta and outside hitter Tanya Ubillus. Kari Wiedinger, who can play inside or outside, had 25 kills in the Mustangs' loss to River Ridge, and Stash and senior Heather Wert have good size inside. Sophomores Ashley Stager and Heather Zappacosta join the starting lineup, and sophomores Layne Spencer and Kelli Wiedinger are setting for now.
COACH SAYS: "Our goals are to go further than we've gone. If that means we lose everything up to the last three and then it clicks, that's fine."
PASCO
COACH: Ramiro Tejada (third season)
LAST SEASON: 11-17, eighth in SAC, reached region semifinals as district runnerup
NEED TO KNOW: Pasco has made the playoffs three years in a row as a district runnerup, but has struggled to keep a .500 record against county teams. Tejada has new starters in sophomore setter Jennifer Peters, a transfer from Wesley Chapel, and sophomore Kalee Burchfield, a sophomore defensive specialist. Tejada hopes for a better showing in the SAC.
COACH SAYS: "The goals we set were to go a minimum of .500 in conference and win our district after finishing as a runnerup last year. ... We've been very inconsistent so far."
RIDGEWOOD
COACH: Amber Starkey (first season)
LAST SEASON: 14-10, fourth in SAC, lost in district semifinals
KEY RETURNEES: Caitlin Morrison, Jr., MH; Jessica Birchmeier, Jr., S/OH; Christina Wood, Sr., S.
NEED TO KNOW: Birchmeier and Morrison could be a feared one-two punch, with Birchmeier also setting with Wood in a two-setter offense. The Rams have their third coach in as many seasons, and as was the case with Jenn Molby last year, they've turned to a Rams alum in Starkey, a 1994 graduate familiar to Ridgewood fans as Amber Martinez. The Rams should contend with Tarpon Springs as challengers to Hudson in Class 4A District 10.
COACH SAYS: "This is my first year, but we definitely have a good team with a lot of talent. It's just a matter of putting it all together."
RIVER RIDGE
COACH: Heidi Castelamare (11th season)
LAST SEASON: 16-7, tied for SAC crown, won district, lost in region final
NEED TO KNOW: The Knights get a boost from the return of Castelamare, who missed last season with a knee injury, and senior Stephanie Seaman, who didn't play last year to focus more on softball. The Knights have the early lead for the SAC crown, having rallied from a 2-1 deficit to beat Mitchell in their season opener last week.
COACH SAYS: "Our passing, technique, ball control are all good. This is a group where if I tell them to make 10 serves in a row, they can do it."
WESLEY CHAPEL
COACH: Julie Marks (fourth season)
LAST SEASON: 19-10, sixth in SAC, district runnerup
KEY RETURNEES: Jasmine Cabrera, Sr., OH; Melissa Skrzypek, Sr., L.
NEED TO KNOW: Marks has only two players back from last season but didn't expect an 0-3 start that included losses to Gulf and Zephyrhills. Cabrera, a track standout, is an athletic hitter on the left side, and Marks has two new setters in junior Nicole Iovine and sophomore Annie Frelick, and first-year varsity hitters in juniors Sami Polston and Heather Bradley. The Wildcats hope to find the right combination in time for the Class 4A District 10 tournament, which they'll host in October.
COACH SAYS: "We are so much better than how we've been playing. We can't figure out putting that last puzzle piece together, but we're going to get there."
ZEPHYRHILLS
COACH: Jerry Stacy (fourth season)
LAST SEASON: Record not available, finished ninth in SAC
NEED TO KNOW: The Bulldogs opened this season strong with wins against Wesley Chapel and Ridgewood. It's an impressive start for a team that has no player taller than 5-foot-8 freshman setter Kristen Arnold, and "what must be the shortest middle in the county," the 5-5 Lennon, who Stacy likes in that position because of her strong leaping ability. Junior Hayley Decker shifts from outside to the middle, and Baker takes over at setter. The team's only senior is outside hitter Beverly Paul, making Stacy optimistic about his team's future.
COACH SAYS: "We've started off a little further ahead in understanding what we're trying to do. One of our goals is to make the district finals, but we've got to get more consistent."
SCHEDULE
SEPT. 15: Zephyrhills at Pasco, 7
Gulf at River Ridge, 7
SEPT. 16: Pasco at Mitchell, 7
Ridgewood at Gulf, 6
Hudson at Wesley Chapel, 7:45
Tarpon Springs at Zephyrhills, 6:30
SEPT. 17: Mitchell at Crystal River Classic
SEPT. 18: Mitchell at Crystal River Classic
Bradenton Southeast at River Ridge, noon
SEPT. 21: Gulf at Wesley Chapel, 7:45
Land O'Lakes at East Ridge, 6
Zephyrhills at Hudson, 6
Pasco at South Sumter, 6:30
Ridgewood at Tarpon Springs, 7
SEPT. 23: Hudson at Gulf, 6
Land O'Lakes at Mitchell, 6
Hernando at Pasco, 6:30
Zephyrhills at Ridgewood, 6
East Ridge at River Ridge, 7
SEPT. 24-25: Hudson Invitational, TBA
Pasco, Wesley Chapel at HCC tournament
SEPT. 27: Wesley Chapel at Tarpon Springs, 7
SEPT. 28: Land O'Lakes at Hudson, 6
Zephyrhills at Mitchell, 7
River Ridge at Ridgewood, 6
Wildwood at Pasco, 6:30
SEPT. 29: Pasco at Gulf, 6
Land O'Lakes at River Ridge, 6
SEPT. 30: South Sumter at Pasco, 6:30
Ridgewood at Hudson, 6
Tarpon Springs at Gulf, 7
Mitchell at East Ridge, 7
Wesley Chapel at Zephyrhills, 6
OCT. 2: Mitchell tri-match, 10 a.m.
OCT. 5: River Ridge at Pasco, 7
Gulf at Zephyrhills, 6
Ridgewood at Wesley Chapel, 7:45
OCT. 6: Wesley Chapel at Land O'Lakes, 6
Hudson at Tarpon Springs, 7
OCT. 7: Gulf at Ridgewood, 6
East Ridge at Land O'Lakes, 6
Pasco at Nature Coast, 6:30
River Ridge at Mitchell
Wesley Chapel at Hudson, 7:45
Zephyrhills at Tarpon Springs, 6:30
OCT. 8-9: Land O'Lakes at East Ridge Invitational, TBA
Mitchell at Bishop Moore Inv.
OCT. 8: River Ridge at Bishop Moore
OCT. 12: Pasco at Gulf, 6
Ridgewood at Land O'Lakes, 6
River Ridge at Hudson, 6
Mitchell at Wesley Chapel, 7:45
OCT. 13: Pasco at Wesley Chapel, 7:45
OCT. 14: Mitchell at Gulf, 6
Pasco at Ridgewood, 7
OCT. 15: River Ridge, Pasco at Lake Gibson tournament
OCT. 16: Wesley Chapel, Pasco at Lake Gibson tournament
DISTRICT ALIGNMENT
(* hosting district tournament)
CLASS 5A, DISTRICT 5: Clermont East Ridge, Land O'Lakes, Mitchell*, River Ridge.
CLASS 4A, DISTRICT 10: Gulf, Hudson, Ridgewood, Tarpon Springs, Wesley Chapel*, Zephyrhills.
CLASS 3A, DISTRICT 6: Hernando, Nature Coast Tech, Pasco*, South Sumter, Wildwood.
