Warriors volleyball readies itself for new season

In the gymnasium at West Orange High School, the sound of volleyballs pinging off of arms and hardwood is a familiar sound for this time of the year.

But for this Warriors team, it’s one of the few familiarities they have remaining from last season.

Between losing a good chunk of its starting lineup, and seeing a change at the head coaching position, a lot has changed for the school’s volleyball team. But that hasn’t fazed the Warriors at all. Or, at least, not anymore.

The time of transition for the team really started over the summer after Head Coach Roberto Santasofia left the program in the hands of assistant Cole Trimble — who only joined the program last year. For Trimble, things have been much different.

“It’s a totally different role, because obviously last year I was there to more support the team and kind of be the shoulder to lean on,” said Trimble, who played under Santasofia as a player. “And then, now, it’s like roles have shifted and I’m the head of everything. It’s been a learning process for — I think — both of us, because they are used to me being coach Cole, ‘Yay, yay all the time,’ and now it’s like, ‘Why isn’t she being that?’”

While it’s taken some time to adjust to Trimble overseeing the program, the silver lining is pretty obvious, junior libero Tristan Tucci said. By having Trimble around for the past year, the girls have really gotten to become familiar with their new leader, she said.

“She mostly ran JV practices last year, so we didn’t have her as much as a coach during our varsity season last year, but it’s good because we already know her,” Tucci said. “It’s easy to connect with Cole — she’s a really fun and great coach to have — so it wasn’t like, a big shock to us when we got her. She’s brought more authority to the program, so it’s been nice.” 

Tucci’s thoughts are reflected among the other members of Trimble’s young team. Players like junior Sara Reinbolt and sophomore Cambrie Riffe, who will be among the core of the Warriors’ team, have gradually and quickly come to terms with their current situation.

NEW TEAM, NEW SEASON

The transition at head coach isn’t the only thing that the Warriors were dealt going into the 2019 season.

Though Santasofia’s departure was a surprise, the team’s returners who were coming back wasn’t. 

West Orange lost four of its six starters to either graduation or transfer. Seniors like Torey Baum and Kaeli Crews were lost to graduation, while a team leader in Taylor Head left for Windermere. To add onto the attrition, junior setter Italia Bollo tore her ACL before moving back to South Florida this month.

“We have new people stepping up and filling in roles that they didn’t have in the past — sometimes it’s thrust upon them — but they are really responding well,” Trimble said. “It’s like throwing them into the deep, but they’ve learned to swim quickly.”

The player turnover means that this season’s team — which includes two new players from Tallahassee and Texas — will be loaded with younger talent.

With that in mind, Tucci, Reinbolt, Riffe and their new coach understand that things are going to be different than last season, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to give any less of an effort.

High expectations have always been around the program — especially after the Warriors hit an all-time high when the team went undefeated and won the state championship in 2017 — and that remains the case in this new season. 

Those high expectations explain why last season’s 22-7 record — which saw the Warriors fall in the regional final to eventual state champs Oviedo — felt like such a disappointment.  Luckily, this season, things already feel better than 2018, Reinbolt said.

“I’m so grateful to have a great connection with the girls this year, because we weren’t as connected last year,” Reinbolt said. “Last year, we lost in the regional finals to go to states, which was really sad and upsetting, but I feel like we can do it again if we push ourselves and we have the right mindset to go all the way.”