Following a trip to the district finals, the Chargers are heading to the 6A regional tournament.
After a 6-7 record in 2020, Strawberry Crest volleyball has earned their spot in the 6A regional tournament following a 13-6 record and a trip to the district finals under first-year head coach Jamee Marino.
Marino is a Chargers volleyball alumna, graduating from Strawberry Crest in 2013 before continuing to play at St. Leo University in St. Leo, Florida. After her time at St. Leo, Marino had the opportunity to begin coaching with Tampa United Volleyball Academy through a former club and college coach, but jumped at the chance to rejoin her alma mater as head coach.
“It’s been awesome,” Marino said. “I started playing here when the school first opened so this school means a lot to me and coming back to coach here means a lot. I’ve been super pleased with how the season’s gone so far and it’s not over.”
Marino was contacted about the coaching position by her former coach at Strawberry Crest Mindy Miltner, who remains an instructor at the school. Marino says that Miltner had contacted her in the past regarding the position as well, but the timing was never quite right until now.
“This year they offered me this coaching position and I was able to make it work with my job,” Marino said. “So now I’m doing travel coaching and able to coach high school which is a different experience altogether because you get to build your program as opposed to having a travel team for a short season and saying goodbye. I get to form relationships with them and this is my first year so I’ve only just begun to form those relationships, but I’m excited for them to come back for years to come.”
Strawberry Crest’s 13 wins is their highest single-season win total since going 15-9 in 2015 and four of their six regular season losses came in a single mid-season tournament.
In the district playoffs, the Chargers were nearly eliminated by Wiregrass Ranch as they trailed 2-1 before rallying to win two consecutive sets to keep their season alive. In the district finals they faced the district’s top seed in Wharton, who remained undefeated in district play with a 3-1 victory over Strawberry Crest to claim the district title.
Heading into the regional quarterfinals, Strawberry Crest will face No. 1 seed Mitchell High School.
