Venice beats Plant in 4

The curse has been broken

Alumni makes it 7 out of 8

The Venice HS Volleyball Alumni game was a success tonight. Even though we threw it together at the last minute and their was no Air condition, we had one of our largest turnouts. Many people in the stands got an opportunity to see a preview of the 2010 edition and some of our oldies got a chance to show us their stuff on the court. Alumni that played was Ann Ross '85, Kristen Batt '99, Katrina Rico '99, Danielle Durham '05, Becky Ross '05, Natalie Gaudreau '07, Julie Howlett '08, Taylor Capasso '10, Jessica Costanzo '10, Emily Daniels '10. I did see Ruth Terry in the stands and was disappointed she was not on on the court too. Even though, the VHS teams have only beaten the alumni once in the past 7 years, it is a great opportunity for the the current players to play at the TeePee with the bleachers out and fans in the stands. It is also an opportunity for our alumni to reconnect with their teammates. Alumni won tonight 25-22,16-25, 25-18, 25-23. Good luck tomorrow if you are trying out for the 2010 squad. Our 1st home match will be Aug. 24 against the green wave of Ft. Myers and then again on Aug 26 against Plant or Berkeley Prep.

Team camp update

We are at the Univ. of Tampa Team camp for about 4 days. There are 41 varsity teams here from around the state. The camp is designed to prepare high schoool teams for the upcoming season. The first couple of days, teams play each other in 6 vs 6 drills and compete against each other with similar skill level. We are in the top group and we work on things like serve receive offense, transition defense and offense, out of system attack, etc. Tonight was the 1st time we were able to play matches against other teams and record scores. Scores were taken to seed the teams for the camp tournament. Venice was the only team to go undefeated. We beat Plant, Leon, Timber creek, Tampa Prep, Gainesville, and East Lake so we are seeded #1 in the 41 team tournament tomorrow afternoon. Our team has steadily improved and players are having a good time. The best part of the camp besides actually playing other schools has been to see the Venice players confidence level rise. After each session, I am seeing the light go on from all of the things they have worked on all summer and they are starting to believe more and more. The best match of the night came against Timber Creek who has a 6'4" middle comitted to Hawaii. We were down 12-4 and made a furious comeback during the timed match and won 14-13. We also got a little revenge on Leon who knocked us out in the final 4 last year. Our offense is actually a little faster this year and our defense is improving day by day. And o yes, I pulled the old toothpaste on the back of the doorknob prank to get the week started and there is definitely more of where that came from coming up tomorrow.

End of Summer Activities

We have had a very productive summer. Players have been coming in from 7-10:30 AM Mon-Thurs and we will be finishing up this week. On Wednesday, our two teams that are going to team camp will be scrimmaging 2 teams from Cardinal Mooney at 7:30 AM with new coach and former VHS stud, Kristen Batt. Anyone is welcome to watch. On Thursday, Venice volleyball players will take their game to University of Tampa team Camp. We will stay there til Sunday. Team Camp is a very important part of our program as we get to finally compete against teams from around the state. Last year, our team flew to Auburn Univ. to win the camp championship. There are many great teams that go to Tampa Team Camp. Some that are signed up are Plant, Tampa Prep, St. Thomas Aquinas, Ft. Myers, Bishop Verot, Bucholtz, Leon, and about 40 other schools. It is amazing competition to see how we are progressing but the most important part of team camp is the building of team chemistry. Players room together, eat together, and have a lot of fun together. Play hard on the court, be silly off the court. Coach Wheatley always has many pranks up his sleeve to make the week even more exciting. (Got some good ones this year). This year, I am particularly interested in camp because we have many potential newbys on the team and I want to see how our returners handle their new leadership roles. Also, we have been working on some new techniques this summer that I really think will help our volleyball IQ and quicken up that learning curve to start the season. Another thing I would like to see is that mean green aggressive style of defense that we are known for in the vb world as well as an offense that will sideout and score on tough teams because "defense gets you to the Final 4 but offense wins it".
Tryouts are scheduled for Aug. 9th. Times will be given later. We are the only female sport on campus with a freshmen, JV, and varsity team. After a player makes a team, practices will start for the two weeks before school starts so make plans to be around. If you make varsity, clear your schedule as we will be practicing 2-A-Days to prepare for the season. Also, all players should be well conditioned coming into tryouts. Don't be a couch potatoe for 2 weeks. Be sprint ready and be able to run a mile in at least under 8 min.
"Hunter or Hunted"

Hunters vs Hunted?

Tomorrow officially starts the 2010 season. We will have approximately 40 high school age players working out all summer from 7-10:15ish each morning in the hopes of making one of our 3 teams in the fall. Summer is such a crucial part of our program and its imperative that the players make a commitment to be there each and every day . Championships are definitely won in the off season. Not only will players be polishing up on basic skills, we will be emphasizing ball control and torrential serving. We plan on having THE best serving team in the state next season which gives us an immediate edge on defense.

Many programs are known for something. Venice Volleyball's brand is defense. Defense win championships but more importantly, its an attitude. The attitude of sacrificing the body to get a ball up. There is nothing worse or frustrating for a team who plays an opponent that continually frustrates the offense by digging them over and over. How many times do you ever see a team where all 6 players go charging after a shanked ball? Offensive teams have streaks but defensive minded teams are in every match night after night. I think of some of our former defensive greats like Courtney Francese, Margeaux Sinibaldi, Amber Davidson, Erin Beebe, Danielle Durham, Julie Howlett, and Danielle Witte just to name a few. Its not just about the 2010 players. They are a part of a process. There have been great players before them and there will be great players who come after them.

For many years, our team has been the hunted. Other teams have Venice circled on the schedule 3 months before the season starts. Our opponents usually are hyped up and have their best matches and largest crowds when Venice pulls up. This summer our players will learn to hunt. We will become the hunters and take no prisoners. Hunters prepare to take no mercy on their prey. We will train this summer harder and be more discipline then ever before.

Blog Radio Coming

Wouldn't you like to know the scoop after games this season? Well, now you can on your ride home from the game on Blog Radio. Beginning in the fall you will hear post game analysis on the Indians victory. Who played great, why Venice won, and what it is going to take for the Volleyballers to win the program's 3rd State Championship in the last12 years. The players are having a great off season as they compete in club tournaments around the country and are committed in the weight room with Vern. The schedule is almost complete with tournaments in Tampa and a repeat trip back up to Chicago for the nations premier tournament . Teams visiting the TeePee this season will be St. Thomas Aquinas, Berkeley Prep, Plant, Bishop Verot, Ft. Myers, and of course some local teams.

Former VHS player named new coach

Congratulations to Kristen Batt for being named Cardinal Mooney's new volleyball coach. Kristen is one of the most decorated athletes to ever attend Venice HS. In my opinion, she changed the way the sport of volleyball was played in this area and is the best volleyball player to ever come out of this area. She revolutionized how the back row attack was implemented and teams around the state had no answer for her dominance. She was the MVP of the 1998 State volleyball tournament where she led Venice to the schools 1st ever Team State Championship. For her efforts, she was also not only the class 5A state player of the year but won the Florida HS Dairy Farmer award for the being the best volleyball player in the State of Florida in all classes in 1998. She was also named to the U.S. HS All American list which boasts the top 75 players in America. Kristen had 587 kills during her senior year which is a record that will never be broken at VHS. After high school, she went on to play at the University of Kentucky where she started all four years and still holds University records. There is no doubt that Kristen will be a future member of the Venice Sports Hall of Fame.

She currently is on the AVP tour where she travels the country and earns money playing teams like Kerri Walsh and Misty May who won the gold medal in the last two Olympics. She will be an asset to the Cardinal Mooney program and her Venice family will be cheering her on every time she coaches except when she plays the Mean Green Machine which happens to be her 1st varsity match next season.

Also, on the Venice volleyball coaching tree, it is rumored that former VHS standout and future Venice Sports Hall of Famer as well as College National Champion and All American, Margeaux Sinibaldi is looking at taking an assistant coaching position at Boston College. More to come..

2010 Pre season Set

2010 Pre Season tournament is set. It will be the most competitive in the state with 2 State Champions, a State Runner up, and a State semi-finalist. The countdown to the season will begin soon.

Aug 24 and Aug 26, 2010 at Venice High School

Berekeley Prep - 3A State Champions
Plant - 6A State Champions
Ft. Myers - 4A State Runner Up
Venice - 5A State Semi finalist

Letter from Vern

 I am looking forward to working with you again. In fact I am honored.  We will begin our off-season training next Monday, January 25, 2010. For the rising seniors you will be beginning your fourth year of training. This is a terrific advantage that none of the groups before you have had. The experience and accumulation of training will enable us to work more specifically on your individual needs. I also expect you to be leaders and help with then underclassmen. We will workout Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays. Be in the weight room ready to start at 2:30.  Monday will be total body and leg day, Tuesday will be upper body and core day and Thursday will be combined. I will do my best to keep the workouts 55 minutes or less. Some of you will get home work assignments to work on individual areas of need. As many of you have learned this homework consisting of remedial exercises is as important to your progress than the actual weight room workouts. Our goals as a group are quite simple. 1) Improve our basic strength levels. Improve our functional jumping ability – that is the types of jumps we need in the match, not necessarily testing. 3) Improve quick speed to improve our court coverage. 4) Improve our overall fitness for volleyball. We pride ourselves on our physical preparation. This is the foundation for better skills. Last years seniors set a high standard for you to follow. I am sure you will embrace the challenge and take Venice Volleyball to new heights. I will be gone most Thursdays so I will designate leaders among you to run the workouts and report the results to me via email. Lets focus on doing everything we do with intensity, concentration and championship effort