Ocoee makes the dream of playing club volleyball a reality

Zoey Walter and her teammates felt a rush of adrenaline as they stepped into the Big House, a large-scale venue with 16 courts and 162,000 square feet. 

Walter never had played volleyball before in a facility of that size. She hadn’t even played for a club volleyball team before. 

And now she was at the biggest stage of her career. 

From the outside, the huge white building looked intimidating. Ocoee Knightmares 13U head coach Marianna Morales reminded the players they were there for a reason. 

“You’re here because you are competitive, you are going to play your heart out,” she said to the players. “You’re going to get it, you’re going to have fun doing it. That’s how we’re going to get through this day.”

And the Knightmares did. The Amateur Athletic Union 13U and 14U club teams, which are in their first season, placed second in the tournament. In fact, they’ve placed in the top three in the three tournaments they’ve participated in this season. 

The Ocoee Knightmares’ volleyball team is partnering with the Ocoee Parks and Leisure Services to compete in its first club season. Ocoee is providing the practice facility and coaches to run the two club teams, comprising 24 girls ages 11 to 14 years old. 

Alex Gonzalez, Ocoee Parks and Recreation’s athletic coordinator, made the season possible. He saw a lack of recreational leagues in volleyball and wanted to provide an outlet for girls in the community to play affordably at the club level. 

“Zoey’s name in town is Zoey from Ocoee,” said Courtney Walter, Zoey’s mom. “Having her represent not only Ocoee Middle School in the Ocoee Knightmares — it’s just been kind of a dream come true. But affordability-wise, I pinch myself because it’s like, ‘Wow, this is happening, and we’re not having to take a second mortgage out on the home.’”

Playing for the Ocoee Knightmares is $900 compared to the national average of $1,800-plus to play on a typical club team. 

Through the Ocoee club team, which competes against other nationally recognized AAU teams, players were able to practice a proper volleyball rotation for the first time and play the sport at a higher level. They’re learning how to transition to serve receive, how to rotate in order and to be responsible for one designated position on the court. 

At 12 years old, Zoey isn’t sure what her future in volleyball holds. She plans to continue to play volleyball for Ocoee and grow her skills with her teammates with whom she has played for four years. But if she decides to play in college, this is the foundation she needs to get there. 

Being able to represent the city of Ocoee on a team brings the players and coaches an immense sense of pride. 

“I was really excited first of all, and I just had a sense of pride,” Zoey from Ocoee said. “It really hit me with a moment of realization like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m on my first-ever team. This is actually happening.’” 

Photo by Megan Bruinsma

OCOEE’S CLUB

Gonzalez has been working with Ocoee Parks and Recreation for four years and watched how large Ocoee’s youth volleyball recreational program was becoming. In the summer of 2024, he interned for the AAU and saw how AAU Nationals run. 

As he watched the world’s largest volleyball event with more than 5,000 teams, he came to a realization — Ocoee’s girls’ talents weren’t far off. Volleyball lacks recreational leagues where girls can start out compared to other sports such as baseball, which has Little League, Gonzalez said. He saw Ocoee’s players had the fundamentals down after playing for four-plus seasons, but they didn’t have the opportunity to grow. 

That realization is why in May 2025 Gonzalez and Toren Hogan, Ocoee Parks and Rec operations manager, started planning. 

Hogan researched programs, determined the $70 price tag for rec, found gym space and scheduled tournaments, while Gonzalez recruited players, coaches and parents. 

All players on the Knightmares also play for the department’s volleyball program. They also are required to have played at least two seasons in the regular league before they can qualify for the club team, because Ocoee’s rec program still is the focus, Hogan said. 

“If it (weren’t) for Alex, none of this would be possible,” Courtney Walter said. “He has such great connections within the community and all the time and effort that he spent, he went and got swords from Ocoee High School (for media day). There was pride on his end, too, to make sure everything was great.” 

Courtney Walter, the “momager,” helps with all of the team’s finances. She makes sure tournaments are paid for, they have their equipment and she even made parent jerseys to replicate the girls’ shirts. 

Gonzalez also made sure to select the best coaches. 

Morales had coached in Ocoee for two years. She began her volleyball career at a young age, playing for 11 years, including playing professionally at age 15 with Vega Baja in Puerto Rico, before moving on to college volleyball. When it came time to scout coaches, she was a perfect fit with her résumé and passion for the sport. 

After two months of planning, the one mini club team held its first practice in July and in late November the two club teams began the regular season. 

NEW EXPERIENCES

“I always say to myself at the beginning of the season, ‘If these girls end up totally in love with the sport, then I’ve done a good job,’” Morales said. “They obviously already like it, that’s why they’re here. But do they love it more than anything?”

To accomplish her goal, Morales creates a different practice plan each day. She’s constantly researching and watching videos to see how she can develop the same skills but in an engaging way. Every time she introduces a new drill, she sees the joy spread across her 12 players’ faces. 

Courtney Walter said from a parents’ perspective, sometimes drills make her question what they’re doing — like throwing tennis balls at the ground or putting blankets over the net — but each has a crucial role in the girls’ development. 

Throwing tennis balls replicates the motion of hitting, it builds their muscle memory so when they go to swing at a volleyball it will come naturally. 

Placing blankets over the net helps with communication. Zoey said they can’t see the other team and don’t know when to expect the ball to come over the net, so they must act quickly and communicate with one another when receiving the ball. 

After Morales’ team does well in a tournament, she’ll treat them with a practice curated with their favorite drills like Queen of the Court. 

Most recently at a Oviedo Volleyball Academy tournament, the 13U came in third and 14U in second. They also traveled to the Big House, where both teams finished in second place. 

“It’s super impressive and rewarding,” Gonzalez said. “It’s really cool to see our girls in their first season ever. It just shows you that it doesn’t really matter where you come from, there’s talent in all leagues. These girls really just needed a chance.” 

The Big House’s tournament was delayed by two hours and the 14U team didn’t finish its last game until 1 a.m., but despite the wait, the 13U team stayed to support their fellow Knightmares. 

The support rapidly has grown since the season’s start. Gonzalez said girls will clip each other, which is clipping customized clothespins to teammates bags, and create signs. 

“When they see their friends walking into the gym, they light up, and this is a really cool atmosphere,” he said. 

Courtney Walter said the support is what kept every parent excited during the six-and-one-half hours the girls played at the Big House. They tried to stay positive, although people were becoming tired, and coming from a small community meant the players and parents are like a family. 

“I have to give credit to the parents, honestly, because the kids can’t drive themselves there,” Morales said. “They need to see that commitment from the parent for them to also have the commitment themselves. A lot of them are early teenagers so they are still learning about themselves, let alone commitments and life.”

Morales loves the wholesomeness of the Ocoee Knightmares. She pulled her daughters out of club volleyball and placed them in Ocoee’s rec league because the club coaches didn’t have a love for coaching anymore and it was diminishing the love her daughters had for volleyball. 

It also was pricey and a sacrifice for families to pay the funds, which is why the Ocoee Knightmare’s team is so important. Girls are playing in national tournaments. The team will play in AAU Nationals in June. They’re growing together without forgetting the true heartbeat of sports. 

As for the future ahead, Ocoee Parks and Rec will continue to grow its recreational volleyball program but wishes to expand the club volleyball program to three teams, although nothing is finalized.