By Sasha Crowe

The Ponte Vedra High School girls volleyball team kicked off their season last week with two non-district games. This year, the team is quite young, with only three seniors and five sophomores. Also, the head coach of thirteen years and three-time FSHAA champion, Robin Mignerey stepped down. New head coach, John Goings hopes to hold Ponte Vedra volleyball to the high standard set in the previous seasons.  

   On Wednesday, Aug. 23, the Sharks were bested by Bishop Kenny High School, being swept in three sets. The sets were close, however, at 24-26, 18-25, and 19-25. Senior outside hitter, Ava Grall led the team with 11 kills. “Our end goal is to make it to the state championship, however, right now we can work on becoming consistent with our play and increase communication.”, described Ava. Ava is committed to playing volleyball at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania and is a crucial leader for the Sharks. The girls did lead in serving aces with a total of 5 for the match.  

   On Friday, Aug. 25, PVHS held its first volleyball home match against Trinity Christian Academy (TCA). After a hard-fought match, the Sharks were beat by TCA in four sets. The girls won set one at 25-21, but were defeated in the next three at 19-15, 18-25, and 24-26. Another close match leaves the Sharks 0-2 for their first week in the season. There is a long season ahead, however, the Sharks must find their groove to prove that PVHS still dominates volleyball. Next week, the girls face Gainesville High School on Tuesday, Sep. 12, and Bishop Kenny High School on Thursday, Sep. 14, both in the tank.