TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Playing club or elite level athletics is the best way for an athlete to see top notch competition and step up their game. For two Tallahassee volleyball clubs, it's paid off, as they'll represent the area at Nationals a the end of the month.
"We do a lot to win. We put in a lot of hours," said Jessica Whitworth, who plays for Prostyle's 25 Black Elite. "We try to work out as much as possible, and we really want that trophy!"
That dream of a USAV National Championship has three teams from Prostyle and two from Tallahassee Juniors putting in a lot of hours, and it hasn't gone unnoticed.
"These girls have been working for the whole season, all year round to get to the point where their level of performance is good enough to qualify and go to Nationals and compete at that level," said Tallahassee Juniors co-director Jose Morales.
"The numbers are getting bigger and what it does is taller and stronger kids are competing and it brings more competition to them," agreed Gokhan Yilmaz, who is the co-director at Prostyle. "They have to beat out more kids to be on our Elite level teams."
More kids means better volleyball, which translates over to the high school season. This year, Leon made it to the Class 7A State Semifinals, Maclay made it to the Elite Eight, while Sneads won their third straight Class 1A State Championship.
"When I got to Sneads, I looked around, and I was like, I think we could do something special here," remembered Sheila Roberts, co-director at Prostyle and also head coach of the Sneads Pirates. "Here at Prostyle, one of our goals has been to offer that opportunity to a wider area of girls."
"The pace of the game gets a lot faster, because there's such tall girls, so you have to play faster to get the blockers off," said Anna Cay Ford, who plays for 17s Tallahassee Juniors. "Taking that back into high school, it makes winning those games so much easier."
With the success of both programs, comes high demand. Girls from across the Big Bend, Georgia, even Alabama come to play, but no matter where they come from, the goal is to win.
"I think we know the amount of competition we're going to face this year since we went last year," said Isabella Choice, who is a member of the 14s Tallahassee Juniors. "I think we'll be much more prepared and ready to win."
"I think it's great because it helps our region grow and it helps our area grow to be more known more," said Jewel Strawberry, who plays for Prostyle's 16 Black Elite. "That's what we want, for Tallahassee to be known for volleyball."
Both clubs also have multiple teams playing in AAU Nationals at the end of the month, and both had girls make the Florida All-Star team to represent Team Florida in the High Performance Championships in July.
