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Central still class of county

Bears remain strong despite the graduation of star Nikki Weaver.

By DAVID MURPHY
Published August 20, 2006

BROOKSVIILE - Vicki Weaver is the proud mother now, standing by a padded wall in the Central gymnasium talking about daughter Nikki: about her fledgling volleyball career at Berry University in Georgia, about her participation in the school's renowned environmental studies program, about the fact she is living on a campus that covers 28,000 acres.

She is talking about how she contemplated stepping down as coach of Central's volleyball team when Nikki graduated in May, about how she wants to spend more time with her son, with her husband, at her house, about how much paperwork and errands she still has to do to get ready for the upcoming season.

But wait. The season has started. Thursday, the Bears beat Belleview in five games. Afterward, the opposing coach pulled Vicki aside and expressed surprise at how well Central played, given that three key players from last year's squad - Noemi Rivera, Dana Perreira and, of course, Nikki - were gone.

Vicki says this proudly, and, suddenly, she becomes a coach again.

"At first, it was weird," says Vicki, who had coached Nikki, the Times' 2005 Hernando/Citrus Player of the Year, since middle school. "Now, it's the same as it was, volleyball every day. I've known this year's seniors since they were in seventh grade. It just kind of rolls on."

As do the Bears.

For the past few years, they have been the best volleyball team in Hernando County, and if the attitude floating around the gym is any indication, they aren't about to relinquish that title this year. Though Weaver and Rivera, both first team Times all-Hernando/Citrus selections last year, are gone, a tight-knit group of seniors has taken their place, and none seem to pay much attention to the fact that the old guard is gone.

"It's great, especially because we've all moved up together," said outside hitter Kristen Wimer, one of seven seniors on the roster. "Everybody was just ready."

Particularly in girls sports, this fascinating element known as chemistry bears as much significance as tangible skills like jumping and hitting.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a team of guys huddled in a circle, arms wrapped around each other, swinging back and forth and singing Lean on Me before practice. But there Central was, singing and swaying and doing some sort of dance Thursday, oblivious to the fact they were wearing spandex and preparing to smack balls with thunderous force over a 7-foot high net.

That chemistry was there two years ago when the Bears reached the region finals in Vicki's first season. And that chemistry was there last year, when Central lost to Ridgewood in the 5A-8 semifinals.

But it seems to exist in excess this year among the seven seniors, four of whom have played together since middle school.

"It's going to help us," senior Mackenzie Roberts said. "We're all so close, on and off the court."

Central boasts 13 players this year, meaning depth will be a strength (Hernando, on the other hand, will dress just nine). Vicki Weaver says her entire team is essentially on the same level, with Wimer and Roberts serving as captains.

"It's hard to pick one player who is going to be the best," Weaver says.

The same can be said for every other team in the county. Of the six Hernando County athletes who were named to the Times' all-Hernando/Citrus team last year, only one - Wimer - is back. Springstead's top player, Brooke Seaman, is gone. Nature Coast Tech's top player, Illeana Santos, is gone. Hernando's top player, Danielle Coopman, is gone.

"It's wide open," Hernando coach Cristi Brown said.

The Leopards believe they can compete with Central, despite the fact long-time coach Dena Frye resigned in the offseason to focus on her personal life. Brown is just 21, but she played for Hernando from 2000-03 and has served as an assistant under Frye since graduating.

Vicki Weaver seems optimistic her team can remain atop the county, but acknowledges the race is "wide open." Though Nature Coast lost Santos to graduation, it will field a lineup that includes heralded freshman Alex Livengood, whom Weaver said soon will be the top player in the county.

Last year, of course, that designation belonged to Weaver's daughter. Vicki has planned two trips to Georgia to watch Nikki play. The rest of the time, she'll be focused on her own team.

"The county is going to be tight," Weaver said. "It's going to be fun."

[Last modified August 19, 2006, 21:07:36]