SPRING HILL – Weeki Wachee’s volleyball team hardly got off to the type of start it would have liked when the season began last week.
In their opener on Aug. 23, the Lady Hornets blew a 2-0 lead and fell at Crystal River, 22-25, 20-25, 25-19, 25-22, 15-10. The next day, they got swept at home by county-rival Hernando, 25-22, 25-15, 25-21.
Though they managed a 25-8, 25-6, 25-18 win over Citrus last Thursday, Tuesday’s matchup at Springstead brought more struggle in the early going.
Yet Weeki Wachee overcame dropping the first game and dug itself out of initial holes in the second and third, knocking off the host Lady Eagles, 23-25, 25-22. 25-23, 25-20.
“Tonight, a hostile crowd, rowdy and stuff, the girls played phenomenal,” Weeki Wachee head coach Kelly Werkmeister said. “That’s what we’ve practiced. We knew what we were walking into, just knowing with their fans, they’re always loud. And our girls, they battled. They just fought back. They knew what they needed to do, and we had to stay with the same rhythm that we had.”
Jennifer Aten served three aces in her second turn at serve to open a 24-20 advantage in the opening set, then libero Alondra Arce notched back-to-back aces to put Springstead up 10-4 in the second.
But the Lady Hornets (2-2) rallied back and took a 16-15 lead on a kill by Brooke Sereda. With the game knotted up at 22, Weeki Wachee rattled off the final three points, the last on an ace by Sarah Asbury.
The Lady Eagles regained momentum once again, scoring the first five points of the third and leading 14-7 on an ace by Janisse Berberna.
That advantage didn’t last, as the Lady Hornets again clawed their way back in it. Another ace by Berberna pulled Springstead within 24-23 before Weeki Wachee finished it off.
In the fourth it was another back-and-forth affair, though the Lady Hornets continued to make key plays down the stretch.
“I think the nerves were getting them a little bit, and then they let it all go,” Werkmeister said. “They relaxed, they got into what they needed to do and they just moved straightforward after that.
“Pretty much the first game, feel each other out. We know each other, all of us, between playing club and going from there. It was just pretty much a warmup game and then they found the rhythm, and that’s what they went with.”
Alexis Thompson paced the Lady Eagles with 15 kills and Aten added 14 plus five aces. Elise Crowell totaled 25 assists.
“We played good. We still are working on little bit of things. It’s the beginning of the season so we’re kind of getting our little kinks out. But I think we’ll be fine,” Springstead head coach Kaitlin Wadsworth said. “We’re just working as a team. We have a lot of new players coming up from JV, but we also have a lot of old players returning. So we’re trying to click as a team.
“My girls I think just, they were so excited about winning they just didn’t realize that it could come back to you. But it’s just working as a team, that’s the problem. They did a great job of trying to come back, but my team is still building so we need to keep rebuilding.”
Miranda Werkmeister tallied 16 kills and 20 digs for Weeki Wachee, while Sereda had 11 and 12. Asbury posted 28 assists and four aces.
“It’s always a rival, it’s always a good game playing against Springstead,” Coach Werkmeister said. “They came out, they played very well tonight compared to the preseason. It was a great game, it was fun. It’s one of those exciting games to play.
“To see the reactions of all the girls, they had each other’s backs tonight. They didn’t let the crowd get into their heads.”
A year ago, the Lady Hornets continued to take significant strides in building up the now sixth-year program, going 23-8 while winning their first district championship and advancing to the Elite Eight.
Miranda Werkmeister and Asbury are key returning seniors, and Weeki Wachee is hopeful that sophomores such as Sereda and Seytia Hill can add depth at the net, along with another returnee, senior Taylor Miller. Freshman Amber Paulsen is tasked with taking over at libero for the graduated Zoe Murchio.
“It’s going to be a pretty competitive district, that’s why we use all these games that we have as practice,” Coach Werkmeister said. “There’s teams that are training out there hard just like we’re going to be training hard. It’s going to be a good district.
“Everybody does look at us and put pressure on us because of making it to the Elite Eight, and everybody’s wanting to come after us.”
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.