Aquinas’ Zielinski, Chaminade’s Johnson are Broward Girls’ Volleyball coaches of the year
It wasn’t a typically dominant season wire-to-wire as it often tends to be for the St. Thomas Aquinas girls’ volleyball team.
But the Raiders got back on course and had another strong finish thanks to longtime coach Lisa ZIelinski.
At Chaminade, which has long been among the more competitive programs in Broward, coach Jason Johnson directed his team to the Class 3A regional semifinals and a 20-win season that included wins over some of the top programs in the county.
For those accomplishments, Zielinski and Johnson are the Miami Herald’s Volleyball Coaches of the Year for Broward County.
Zielinski is the winner for Classes 7A-5A after leading Aquinas to the Class 6A state semifinals after her team endured a stretch of 12 losses in 17 matches.
Johnson’s team made the regional semifinals for the third time since 2017 and second time in three seasons.
The Lions defeated several of the top squads in Broward along the way led by a versatile roster. Unfortunately for Chaminade, it could not find an answer for Miami-Dade County contender Doral Divine Savior, which beat the Lions three times including a four-set match in the Class 3A regional semifinals.
Johnson will next work on trying to reload the Lions’ roster after his top three players - outside hitters Emma Gulaskey and Sofia Silva and libero Luiza Zima graduate.
“I was very proud of what the team was able to accomplish. Some of our key starters were 3 or 4 year varsity starters, and it has been great to see them develop and grow from year to year,” Johnson said. “They definitely earned their successes this season. We played some talented teams and we were able to grind out wins in some tight matches. We competed hard in those matches that we lost as well. I think that teams knew it was going to be a battle when they played us.”
Aquinas won’t have to do as much rebuilding though.
The Raiders lose Miami Herald 7A-5A Player of the Year Zy’Aire Barr and outside hitter Lauren Purnell, but return a strong core led by sophomores Mikayla Porter and Zori Brown and juniors Sydney VanCott and Halley Tang.
The Raiders, who were eliminated in three sets by Viera in the state semis, went 8-12 after dealing with injuries to key players and playing against a tough schedule that included some of the state and nation’s best. But the team’s core rallied and put together a 10-game winning streak which included a road win at Miami Lourdes Academy, which was ranked in the top 25 overall in the state.
“We’ve had a real rollercoaster season with injuries and other factors, they’ve been through the ringer,” Zielinski, who has guided the Raiders to all six of their championships over the past 33 seasons, said after that win.
This story was originally published December 23, 2022 at 7:30 AM.
