Chris VinelDaytona Beach News-Journal
PORT ORANGE — Spruce Creek’s undefeated run didn’t come out of nowhere.
Other than a couple of now-graduated seniors, the Hawks’ 2024 lineup resembles the 2023 version. Multiple starters retained their partners.
“It's what we expected,” senior Gabby Conway said.
The result: 10-0 and the 62nd ranking in the state.
Last year’s team went 11-7, but four of those losses came against eventual undefeated state champion New Smyrna Beach. Spruce Creek advanced to the district finals and then to the second regional play-in round.
“I feel like we're more connected,” senior Ella Dietrich said. “Now, we have our own courts and stuff. We come straight from school down here. We don't have to drive 20 minutes.”
Yep, the new on-campus courts definitely help. Before them, the Hawks had to travel to DME Academy, City Island Park or the beach.
They also have a beach volleyball class for the first time. They start during the seventh and final period of the day. Most of the team, plus a few boys, are in the class.
“We still work on not making our setters go far after the ball,” coach Cara Swayze said. “We're still working on placement of sets. Still working on touching every ball on defense. Those are all really important things.
“For some of the kids, they're still learning the concept of what it means to set your partner up versus what they do indoors because they've been playing indoor (volleyball) their whole life.”
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Only one of the 10 usual starters (senior Corrine Glasnak) did not suit up for Swayze’s varsity indoor volleyball squad last fall. The other nine did. The pairings are:
- Conway and Dietrich
- Glasnak and junior Rebecca Boone
- Senior Mia Mayberry and senior Skylar Johnston
- Sophom*ore Annabelle Gentry and sophom*ore Taylor Fonseca
- Sophom*ore Logan Milan and sophom*ore Riley Bennett
Swayze said one strength of this roster is setting, and she attributes it to something specific.
In February, Spruce Creek brought back 2017 alum Erica Brok, who practically authored Florida Atlantic’s beach volleyball record book, for two preseason clinics.
“It was just awesome because I could just point at her and say this is what happens when you put the work in,” Swayze said.
“... We’re a really good setting team because of that. She just did a really great job of breaking things down.”
Since kicking off the regular season on Feb. 28, the Hawks have claimed 7 of their 10 matches 5-0.
They have three regular-season contests left — Atlantic and Matanzas Wednesday and New Smyrna Beach Thursday. Then, districts. They hold the second-best FHSAA ranking in the Volusia-Flagler area.
Same way they ended last year.
DeLand is Volusia-Flagler area’s third-ranked program
James Disinger entered this season with a new perspective.
During his first two years as DeLand’s beach volleyball coach, the Bulldogs rarely played teams from outside the Volusia-Flagler area. He emphasized district teams because they’d see them again in the league tournament.
He changed that this spring.
“I realized, if we play higher ranked teams, they play better,” Disinger said. “They're stepping up to these higher teams. We're not winning all of them, but they're good teams.”
So DeLand’s 3-6 record this year isn’t the 9-5 tally it finished with last year. It slots 103rd in the state. But the hope is, it is more prepared for the district bracket.
The Bulldogs kicked off the campaign with close losses to Spruce Creek and Middleburg. Then, they headed to New Smyrna Beach, the state’s second-ranked team and two-time defending state champion.
“We lost the first three matches, and they were frustrated,” Disinger said. “They don't like to lose. Nobody likes to lose, but they really don't like to lose. They're very competitive. Once we got back into a winning streak, they were like, ‘OK, we understand what you were doing.’”
DeLand rattled off three straight wins after that. It tackled Matanzas and Seabreeze 5-0 and Atlantic (the area’s fourth-ranked team at 127) 4-1.
Since March flipped to April, the Bulldogs have lost three straight again. But the losses were 5-0 against Hagerty, the state’s 14th-ranked team, 3-2 to Montverde Academy, No. 8 in the state, and 3-2 to Spruce Creek, an undefeated local power.
Disinger knew this group could handle the grind.
It’s a larger team. For the first time, DeLand has varsity and junior varsity rosters. It’s also a veteran lineup.
Everyone in the top three pairs, which have been set while multiple duos have battled for the fourth and fifth spots throughout the season, is either a junior or senior.
At Line 1, Alison Bierwagen and Ella Pringle are juniors. Emma Van Deusen and Elisa Stoltzfus are seniors at Line 2. In the third pairing, Deanna Disinger is a senior while Erynn Gotsch is a junior.
“I think our bond is so strong,” Deanna Disinger said. “That's definitely a strength of ours since we've been progressing through the last three or four years. Plus, the majority of the girls on the beach team are on the indoor team. So Erynn and I played indoor together. She was an outside (hitter). I was a (defensive specialist). We just instantly clicked, and I feel like our entire team bonds really easily.”
One last regular-season match — against Atlantic Thursday — remains.
“At this point, it's more just the mental game,” James Disinger said. “... They have the physical skills.”
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Other Volusia-Flagler teams
- Atlantic
- Record: 8-4
- State ranking: 127
- Flagler Palm Coast (first-year program)
- Record: 3-9
- State ranking: 213
- Matanzas
- Record: 4-10
- State ranking: 202
- New Smyrna Beach
- Record: 9-1
- State ranking: 2
- Seabreeze
- Record: 3-8
- State ranking: 206
When do FHSAA beach volleyball district tournaments start?
The regular season concludes Friday. District tournaments will follow from Monday, April 22 through Thursday, April 25.
All seven local teams inhabit District 7-1A.
