Westminster Christian has been a regular visitor to the volleyball state playoffs for the past 15 years.

Westminster coach Julie Doan has seen talented teams fail to earn a trip to the final four the past three seasons.

Doan said the problem was team chemistry.

So this summer, she came up with an plan to help the Warriors take the next step.

''We went on a missions trip to Costa Rica,'' Doan said. ``It was something I did when I was a sophomore in high school at Florida Christian. We played volleyball against some of the local girls over there and did a lot of charity activities like donating clothes to the poor. It's brought us closer together.''

The results lately have backed up that assessment.

On Tuesday night, Westminster Christian scored a convincing victory against host Palmer Trinity, 25-14, 25-16, 25-16 at the Falcons' gym.

The Warriors (5-4) finished second to Palmer Trinity in District 16-2A last season and were eliminated by the Falcons in the regional semifinals.

It was Westminster's first match in Miami after returning from playing in the premier division of the Orlando OVA Classic. At the tournament, they defeated Oviedo and lost a close match to defending Class 3A state champion Lake Highland Prep 28-26, 25-23.

Westminster Christian hopes their next road trip is to Lakeland for the state final four in November. The Warriors have not advanced to state since 1987.

''Our whole season has been a reflection of the great two weeks we spent in Costa Rica,'' sophomore Julie Trembley said. ``We traveled all over the country and learned a lot it about ourselves. We've bonded as a team.''

Trembley, typically an outside hitter, played the back row libero as she recovers from an ankle injury sustained before the season. The Warriors picked up the slack as a team as senior Taylor Chao scored 10 kills and six digs. Trembley's older sister, Kirsten, stopped Palmer's front line a few times and finished with three kills and three blocks.

The defense set up junior Deanna Etzold's nine kills, while sophomore setter Rebecca Acevedo finished with 17 assists, four aces and three kills.

Westminster Christian returned nearly its entire roster from last season's team that finished 19-10. This year's squad is still young, with Chao and Kirsten Trembley the only seniors on the team.

''We know what the girls are capable of and they're going to be challenged down the stretch,'' Doan said. ``I think the experiences they had has made them a much closer team than we've had here in a while.''

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