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Mustangs Confident Despite Loss

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By EDDIE DANIELS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 11, 2008

TRINITY - Tuesday night inside the Mitchell gym was not quite the watershed moment volleyball coach Keith Paulk had hoped for.

The Mustangs lost their seventh consecutive match to Countryside, last season's Class 6A-District 7 runner-ups, 25-14, 25-12, 25-17.

Despite the score, Paulk was adamant that it wasn't what it seemed.

"All night long, they're just a little bit better on the rally than we were," Paulk said. "What's the lesson to be learned? The lesson to be learned is to be ready to do that exact, same thing to them. ... I'll tell you what, the scores don't indicate it, but the rallies were close. The rallies were close and there were some long ones and good ones.

"Gosh they made some good defensive play on both sides of the net. They've got their superstar they can go to and she does keep swinging. My girls kept swinging, kept digging. I'm really pleased."
Paulk is nowhere near pushing the panic button for his Mustangs (2-1) considering at any given time, he'll have five seniors in the lineup at once. In all, six of his seven seniors - Veronica Harring, Amanda Josephik, Nicole Kirkpatrick, Amy Petrella, Ariela Salvati and Alyssa Updegrave - have played together since they were in seventh grade.

That nuance could put any coach at ease.

"We're the core," said Salvati, who led the Mustangs with her seven kills.

Harring, who will set as well as play a hitting role, can attest to that.

"It's more along the lines of being more proud than being confident because we're so happy that we've all stayed together since, what, seventh grade," she said. "We're just happy to still be together and playing with the girls we basically grew up with."

The bond forged over those years has given the group an unspoken chemistry and the ability to say things just right.

"We just kind of understand what we're all thinking," Harring said. "We've been playing together for so long, we just look at each other and we know what we need to do."

Added Salvati: "We'll get quiet on the court, but we all know. We look at each other and we don't need to say anything. Everybody knows when I'm down, everybody knows when V's down. It goes without saying."

Despite dropping the first two games in disappointing fashion Tuesday night, the group fought hard in Game 3, knotting the contest six times. Countryside (4-0) didn't pull away until the game was deadlocked, 14-14. The Cougars then built a 19-16 advantage and never looked back.

"My girls played good. It's going to be a good season," Paulk said. "They're ready for this season. They're ready for playing long, hard rallies against good teams and this will certainly prepare us for the conference schedule.

"They're going to have to get closer and closer as we keep playing Countryside this year. I hope we get to play them three times. Be like Sickles last year, just get that last one."

Last season, Sickles won the district despite losing to Countryside twice.

The final meeting came in the 6A-7 title game.

"One game's all it takes," Paulk said, as a sly grin grew across his face.

Or maybe seven seniors.

Reporter Eddie Daniels can be reached at (813) 948-4214 or edaniels@tampatrib.com.

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