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Cool Under Pressure

Jasmina Meyer/Highlands Today

Sebring senior Hannah Shoop's dedication, work ethic and steady play was a big part of the Blue Streaks success on the volleyball court. For her leadership and ability Shoop was selected as Highlands Today's All-Heartland Volleyball Player of the Year.

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By CHRIS HOFFMAN

Highlands Today

Published: December 26, 2008

SEBRING - Staying cool under pressure has been a badge of honor Hannah Shoop has been saddled with since she walked onto the Sebring volleyball court as a sophomore.

The Sebring senior's uncanny knack to cocoon herself from the rigors of a match and focus on the task at hand and her role in it is a rare quality that Blue Streak coach Vanessa Sinness would inject into every player on her team.

"Pressure just doesn't build up for Hannah," Sinness said. "She has always been able to keep the mood light on the team, but she's also not afraid to swing hard and do what's needed to get the job done."

For her dedication to the sport and her tireless effort and leadership on and off the court, Shoop has been selected the 2008 Highlands Today All-Heartland Volleyball Player of the Year.

During her junior season, Shoop was asked to carry more of the workload on a very inexperienced squad, where she led the team in kills (152) and was near the top in blocks (50) and digs (128).

But her senior season was a very different story.

"Her role changed quite a bit during the season due to the maturation of Anna and Karley and our team found the right balance of youth and experience," Sinness said.

Shoop was second in kills (121) and third in blocks (53) while adding another dimension to her game that wasn't there in previous years, as she was tied for the team lead in aces (25) and had a 93.8 serve percentage and led the team in digs (139), which is nearly unheard of for an outside/middle hitter.

"I made a conscious effort to improve in each of my three years on the varsity team," Shoop said. "I think I became a more intelligent player and learned to not only hit it hard but learn to place my shots.

"It was nice to know we had a lot of scoring options that teams were not always able to key on me defensively, but they'd have to cover everyone at the net. It made this season a lot of fun when we were able to spread the wealth."

Sinness said it was "a joy" to watch Shoop grow into her own on the court and she'll miss so much that the three-sport standout gave to the team.

"I'll miss her spirit most of all," Sinness said. "The best thing about being around Hannah is that she's always smiling and always upbeat. When things were going wrong or the team would be down on themselves, we could always look to Hannah. She'd always find a way to bring us back up to where we needed to be.

"That's really hard to find."

The Team

Melissa Tullo, senior, Avon Park The scrappy Red Devil senior gave a young Avon Park team some much-needed leadership in practice and a beautiful blend of offense and defensive prowess.

First-year head coach Stephanie Devlin remarked on Tullo's leadership ability on such a young team.

"Melissa is a quiet leader but she's not that 'in-your-face' type person. She's subtle and interjects with advice when needed, but never bossy or over bearing like some captains can be," Devlin said. "She was a self-motivated player and I believe she was harder on herself then I ever could be.

"She's a versatile player, quick and mindful. I could put her in just about any position and she would figure it out."

Tullo finished the season with 36 kills, 48 assists, 57 aces and 203 digs for the Red Devils.

Kaneisha Hamilton, senior, Lake Placid As solid as any girl on the Green Dragon squad, Hamilton showed the versatility that made her a threat no matter where she was on the court.

"You would have the advantage against Kaneisha at the net - not true at all," Lake Placid head coach Marilyn Jones said. "This young lady has spring in her legs and she can get up and smack the ball down hard.

"Kaneisha was a big part of the offense and improved on getting the ball to where the opponent wasn't, while finding an open spot on the court and hit there. She kept the other team off-balance, because they never knew where she was going to hit. Her teammates selected her to represent them as their co-captain and as a senior, she'll be very hard to replace."

Hamilton finished the season with 139 kills and 285 digs in helping to lead Lake Placid to its fourth straight district title.

Molly Blackman, senior, Sebring The personification of a 'never-give-up' attitude. Blackman showed what was possible in overcoming a number of obstacles to reach the pinnacle of your sport.

"I don't know anyone who had to go through as much as Molly just to be able to walk out on the court and play the way she did every night," Sinness said. "She was one of the best players at crunch time."

Blackman overcame an injured leg during her junior year and was overcome by an illness at the beginning of the season that added another level of difficulty to her senior campaign.

With all that working against her, Blackman still led the Streaks in kills with 137 and in blocks with 81 and became one of the most powerful players at the net in the Heartland.

Daija Barrett, senior, Avon Park Barrett become THE offensive threat for Avon Park this season, as she tallied 74 kills and 49 blocks to go along with 36 assists, 49 aces and 204 digs for the Red Devils during her senior campaign.

Barrett's talent didn't go unnoticed, as many of the opposing coaches had to game plan to try and negate the senior's power.

"Daija was like a cannon for Avon Park, and if she went off, you'd better watch out," Sinness said. "Her athleticism was utterly amazing. If you put her on a team with a consistent setter, she would've been even more unstoppable."

The three-sport athlete improved her play at the net as well he ability to be a solid back row defender when called upon.

"Daija was the captain that was a take-charge leader on the court and always very vocal with communication. She was graceful and purposefully in her play and a natural talent," Devlin said. "She's displays great strength, speed, focus and determination even when we were down in points and excels in just about thing she puts her mind to."

Britt Augustine, junior, Sebring Voted "MVP" by her Blue Streak teammates, Augustine has developed into the quarterback on the volleyball court for Sebring, which is exactly what Sinness was looking for out of the junior.

"The setter is the most important position on the floor because they touch every second ball on the court," Sinness said. "Britt has come so far this year in her first year setting full time. I think she really felt comfortable.

"For any good hitter, you have to have confidence in your setter and Britt earned the confidence of her teammates this season."

The SHS setter finished with 457 assists and 115 digs to go along with a 94.9 serving percentage and a modest 82 kills and 47 blocks for the Streaks.

Sierra Weaver, junior, Lake Placid Weaver earned respect from every opposing team that played against the Green Dragons in '08.

The LP junior led the team with 161 kills and 77 blocks while adding 221 digs and a 95 serving percentage to her resume.

In the district championship game against Mulberry, Weaver led the team with 10 kills and five blocks.

"Sierra pushes herself to improve and get better in every aspect of the game. This year she led the team in kills and she was among the top in other areas as well," Jones said. "She also changed positions from last year and had to make some adjustments from outside hitter to playing middle.

"Sierra is focused on what she needs to do and pushes herself to get it accomplished. She is also a junior and will have one more year to fine tune her skills and continue making an impact in the game of volleyball. Nothing would make Sierra happier than to play volleyball year-round."

Karley Freeland, junior, Sebring The boundless work ethic of Freeland helped make her the poster child for Sinness' summer work-out program, which saw the Streaks become a well-conditioned machine this past season.

In her first year on varsity, Freeland came out firing on all cylinders and nearly broke 100 kills (97), which is unheard of for a first-year varsity player under Sinness.

"Karley improved the most so much since her freshman year," said the SHS coach. "The summer conditioning program and her participation on the weightlifting team has really transformed her into a solid volleyball player."

Freeland had a 98.8 serve percentage and 77 digs for the Streaks and will be one of the leaders for the '09 squad.

Julie Shrewsbury, senior, Lake Placid Stepping into a new role your senior season may be a daunting task for some, but Shrewsbury never wavered when asked to become the Green Dragons' setter during the summer.

We lost our setter to graduation and not being one to stand around and fret about little things like never having played a position before, Julie jumped right in and began working on skills to improve her game," Jones said. "Julie is her own worst critic. If the sets weren't perfect, she would take sole responsibility for not getting it just right for the hitters. She improved a ton from the beginning of the season to the end. She would hustle for everything in the gym.

"Her enthusiasm on the court was infectious and she never gave up on anything, a ball, a teammate or the opportunity to win a game. Her efforts are a very big part of why we were able to repeat as district champs."

Shrewsbury was as solid as they come at the setter position, as he led the Heartland with 486 assists, while adding 110 digs and a 96.1 serve percentage for the Green Dragons.

Anna West, sophomore, Sebring One of the bright spots when you're talking about Sebring volleyball's future.

West had a breakout season during her sophomore campaign as she finished with 110 kills, 61 blocks, 25 aces and 46 digs for the Streaks.

What impressed Sinness most about West was her fearless nature toward not only her opponent, but also the seniors at the net for Sebring.

"A lot of players would get intimidated when you have that much talent as we did in the front row, but Anna wasn't by any means," Sinness said. "She wasn't afraid to step up and take control of a game.

"The one aspect of her game that I'm waiting to see is her leadership. I believe that is something that will blossom next season with the departure of the senior class. We haven't seen the best out of Anna yet."

Kayla Summerfield, junior, Lake Placid With so much talent leaving Lake Placid, Summerfield, along with Weaver, will be called upon to add not only leadership, but the offensive firepower in the Green Dragons quest for a fifth-straight district title.

Summerfield led the team in digs with 340, while adding 139 kills in her junior season.

"Kayla is a very driven player and very passionate about playing volleyball. She sees the entire court and is great at spotting any weakness of the opponent," Jones said. "Kayla has a devastating serve and when it's on, it normally signals 'lights out' for the other team. She has much to offer the younger players and is willing to talk with them and help them understand what needs to be done."

During a game against McKeel Academy this season, Summerfield's deadly serve brought Lake Placid back from an eight-point deficit to take a commanding lead by serving 17 straight points.

Riki Albritton, senior, Sebring Riki has been called the "heart and soul" of the Streaks this season and was the unquestioned leader vocal leader on the court for Sebring.

Albritton led the team with a 97.1 serve percentage and finished with 99 digs for the Streaks.

"She was THE voice of the team and had enough heart for everyone," Sinness said. "Riki is going to be the hardest person on the team to replace because she held the team together. She directed everyone from the back row and helped school the new kids on where to be on the court. You can't quantify what Riki meant to this team in a stat sheet.

"It's not all about the numbers, especially when you're talking about Riki."

Coach Of The Year

For leading the Lake Placid volleyball team to its fourth straight Class 3A-District 10 crown, Marilyn Jones has been selected as our 2008 Highlands Today All-Heartland Volleyball Coach of the Year.

Chris Hoffman can be reached at 863-386-5837 or choffman@highlandstoday.com

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