BIG DREAMS: Sunnyvale volleyball team hopes to ride wave of success

For most programs, it takes years of building and hard work before they are able to taste success.

The Sunnyvale volleyball program is ahead of the curve.

Last season--their first with a senior class--the Raiders advanced all the way to the Class 2A Division I regional quarterfinals.

This year's group has similar high hopes under new head coach Nicholas Gay, who coached at a high school outside of Fort Worth a year ago, but jumped at the chance to move closer to his roots after growing up in Rockwall.

"They had a successful run last year, so they had high expectations even before I got here," Gay said. "But the girls have really bought into what we are teaching and they have run with it."

Sunnyvale is off to a strong start to the season. On Tuesday, the Raiders picked up a 26-24, 25-19, 29-27 victory over Crandall to improve to 16-6 on the season.

Sunnyvale already has won trophy in its case after winning the Eustace Tournament, defeating the hosts in the semifinal and Class 4A Ennis in the finals.

Last weekend, the Raiders took third place at the Wills Point Tournament, posting a 5-1 record, with the lone loss coming against Wylie East, another Class 4A program.

"We always say that all 4A has is bigger numbers," Gay said. "We believe we can compete with them and we have proven that."

Sunnyvale has a good mix of younger talent and veteran leadership on the team, with four seniors, led by Mali Crumpton.

Crumpton plays all six rotations and is a hard-nosed player that goes after every loose ball, according to Gay. She is also a leader both on and off the court, as the team captain who is also ranked No. 1 academically in her class.

Another key for Sunnyvale has been junior Abby Whitehead, another versatile player who fills a variety of roles.

"We're doing a real good job of playing together and I think we are doing pretty good on the offensive end," Gay said. "But like all coaches will tell you, we're still always working on serve/receive and on our passing."

The Raiders were undefeated in rolling to the District 6-2A Division I championship last season. They will begin defense of that title next Friday with a home game against Dallas Life.

For Sunnyvale, they are hoping that it is only the beginning of a memorable journey.

"At the beginning of the season, we outlined our team goals; we wanted to be competitive in every game and to play hard at all times," Gay said. "If we were able to be district champs again, that would be great, but I also know they want to take it to that next level. We are going to focus on winning district and then move on from there, but I know the girls want a taste of that regional tournament."

Current Rating: 0 of 0 votes!

Rate File: Select Rating: * ** *** ****

 Plano Apartments
 Plano Attorneys
 Plano Auto Dealers
 Plano Auto Parts
 Plano Auto Repair
 Plano Beauty Salons
 Plano Car Rental
 Plano Dentists
 Plano Doctors
 Plano Flowers
 Plano Hotels
 Plano Insurance
 Plano Loans
 Plano Mortgages
 Plano Movers
 Plano Pizza
 Plano Realtors
 Plano Restaurants
 Plano Storage
 Plano Tax Preparation
 Plano Travel
 Featured
 More...