Schumacher and Hornets Sting Eagles in Three Sets

On Tuesday evening, the Weeki Wachee Hornets (1-2) swept the Springstead Eagles (1-2) at the Hornets’ Nest. The Green and Black rode a strong night from Sophomore Marlee Schumacher to give the home team the first win under Head Coach Erin Clark’s leadership. She remarked on the presence that the sophomore brings to the team after the game.

“She provides leadership and volleyball IQ for us,” Coach Clark said. “She is stability on the court when we need it. Other than that, she is a great teammate, but her teammates are great to her, too. So, that makes it easy. They step up around her, support her, and give her the ability to play that role for us.”

The first set was a back-and-forth affair. Though the Eagles would not see their first lead until the final set, they drew even with the Hornets five times throughout the first. One of their ties saw them reach 23-all with the home team, but Clark’s squad responded right back. Naturally, Schumacher took top billing. She was responsible for 10 of her team’s 25 total points in the opening set including the final two points to break the late stalemate as the Hornets won 25-23.

While Springstead’s scoring was distributed more evenly among its players, Sophomore Paloma Verde did stand out for the power displayed on her kills. Head Coach Andrea Gracey acknowledged Verde’s play as she follows the legacy of former Eagles’ star Emily Miller. Alongside Setter Mackenna Chambers, that makes two sophomores in leadership roles on the Red, White, and Blue. In fact, both coaches applauded their setters for putting their teams in good positions on Tuesday.

“I’m just pleased with our setter. She is a tenth grader. She learned a lot from Isabella last year and, obviously, I’m really proud of Poloma. She’s another tenth grader. Coming off the legacy that Emily left with the program, she’s really digging down deep and taking all the feedback well, soaking it in to fill those shoes. So, to have two tenth graders play such a key role on a varsity team, the future definitely looks great.”

“A lot of pressure out of the setting role for Isabel Shelby, and that alone is all the pressure you can take on her shoulders,” said Coach Clark. “So, getting the ball out to her teammates, making sure that they are doing what they are supposed to do, or running plays. She’s staying in the system, communicating with them, as well as she contributes quite a bit from the service line for us.”

Set two was all Weeki Wachee as the Hornets jumped out to an insurmountable 10-1 lead and never looked back. Some bad fortune for Springstead and many strong plays by Schumacher (another 5 kills, 1 block), Senior Reese Halter, and Senior S Isabel Shelby allowed the home team to build their advantage and hold it throughout. For the Eagles, Verde contributed 6 points in the penultimate set, though it would not be nearly enough as they fell 25-15.

The third and final frame would be another doozy, and the visitors held a slim lead throughout the first half. After being knotted at 13 points mid-match, Weeki Wachee opened up a five-point lead due to a pair of errors by Springstead and back-to-back scores off effort plays by Junior DS Naomi Loparo.

Just when it looked like it was over, the Eagles rattled off five straight points of their own thanks in part to a trio of Hornet mistakes. Then, with the score a contentious 18-18, Clark’s crew locked the door and threw away the key as they scored 7 of the next 10 points to win 25-21 and send their cross-county rivals packing early.

Despite the outcome, Coach Gracey feels “our program is built for this,” as they have seen many strong hitters (their own Emily Miller included). Her girls may just need a little more experience. As evidenced by the two previously mentioned sophomores in major roles, the Eagles’ coach has a young team on her hands. It is not solely due to graduation either. Injuries and illnesses abound, she noted.

“it’s ninth and tenth graders, young girls trying to figure it out, but that’s the future of this program,” said Coach Gracey. “That’s what makes it so exciting, so we got to build off that and learn off it tonight.”

Coach Clark and company had been looking to get into rhythm, and they seemed to have found some on Tuesday. Clark feels her team can “take it a couple more levels,” but the matchup against Springstead was a step in the right direction. The Hornets will look to continue building cohesion in their matchup at Hernando on Thursday while the Eagles will look for similar growth when they host the same Leopards team next week.