St. Ed’s volleyball season ended last week in the District 8-2A postseason tournament after what turned out to be perhaps the most productive campaign on and off the court since 2015.
The Pirates opened the playoffs by dispatching crosstown rival Master’s Academy in straight sets. That set up a semifinal encounter with Covenant Christian School. The teams split a pair of regular season matches that were evenly contested throughout. St. Ed’s won a four-setter on the road before visiting Covenant returned the favor by taking a hotly contested five-setter.
The Pirates hosted the tourney semifinal and quickly dropped two sets, 13-25 and 20-25, before rallying to take the third, 25-16. The deciding fourth went to Covenant 21-25.
First-year varsity head coach Angelique Soderman guided this team to 9-9 finish. It was a nice step forward for a program that didn’t post more than six victories or finish above .500 in any of the past three seasons.
This team experienced ups and downs from the very beginning. The coach said everyone was unexpectedly “disheveled” when one of her players couldn’t remove a cartilage piercing before the opener. Then, “the hurricane happened and we didn’t know what was happening and what went where.”
Probably drawing from her own background as a player at Key West High School, a walk-on at Boston College, club and school volleyball coach with a prior stint at St. Ed’s middle school, as well as a parent of two daughters, the new varsity coach was able to steady the ship and witness the team come maddeningly close to claiming a district title.
“We definitely had some weird oddities happening,” she recalled. “We lost our first two and started out in a hole. When we went to Merritt Island and beat them in an unbelievable five-set match, it sparked everyone into realizing that we really could be a great team. I would like to add that the team that beat us in the semifinals, Covenant Christian, went on to beat Merritt Island and win districts.”
The main statistical contributors for 2019 included seniors Molly McGee, with an astounding 345 assists, and Zion Atwater, with 22 blocks. Sophomore Alexa Soderman was plastered all over the stat sheet. She was one or two in every category with 94 aces, 12 blocks, 123 digs, 27 assists and 278 kills. Sophomore Meredith Burgoon led with 173 digs and was runner-up with 43 aces. Sophomore Alice Grace Lockwood chipped in with 86 kills.
As we have all come to realize, coaches can have a dramatic and long-lasting impact on the lives of young people, for better or worse. This is how Soderman approached that responsibility.
“One of the biggest mistakes in my life was made in a moment of self-doubt. Feeling that I was not one of the better players, I quit (the team at Boston College). I constantly refer to that not only as a coach, but as a teacher for 19 years. Don’t ever give up on yourself.
“I emphasize rebounding from bad losses, bad days or anything else, in order to remain strong and unified. Most importantly, I want the girls to know they could come to me no matter what, in bad moments and good.
“When first approached by Mr. (Athletic Director Jeff) Lamscha to coach varsity volleyball this year, my initial response was a mixture of excitement and concern. I am a bit of a perfectionist and I was unsure how to juggle working at Oslo Middle School, coaching varsity volleyball at Saint Edward’s, and maintaining the demands of being a mother of two girls, Sommer 12 and Alexa 15.
“I knew I did not want to take on the challenge if I could not give 100 percent to all facets of my daily life. I also was a tad concerned how I would be received by the team, although I had previously coached four of them in middle school. I would become their third varsity coach in three years and I didn’t know if they would buy into my process.
“I approach teaching and coaching from the perspective of the whole person. I am there to instruct and lead and support, but not just in volleyball. I am committed to make young female athletes feel safe, supported, confident and to build their self-esteem if needed.
“I could not be any happier how it turned out. The team players and parents all not only accepted me, but were amazingly supportive of who I am and what I do.
“I am very sad our season has come to an end. I am so committed to the process and to the team that when it was suddenly done, I felt a little like my kids have left home.”