Aquinas, Cypress Bay, NBP coaches earn Broward Volleyball Coach of the Year honors
Lisa Zielinski has been at the helm of the entire historic run of eight state girls’ volleyball championships at St. Thomas Aquinas.
As the Raiders themselves like saying, they remain the standard that all other Broward County programs hope to emulate.
Two such programs achieved potential steps in those directions this past season under strong leadership as well.
Cypress Bay’s Nicole Arnold oversaw a breakthrough season for her program as the Lightning started the year 20-0 for the first time in school history.
And at North Broward Prep, Hector Ramirez guided the Eagles through a tough slate and their first regional finals appearance since 2010.
For their efforts, Zielinski, Arnold and Ramirez are this year’s Miami Herald Broward County Girls’ Volleyball Coaches of the Year.
Zielinski and Arnold share the honors for Classes 7A-5A and Ramirez earned the distinction for Classes 4A-1A.
It was a particularly historic season for Zielinski, who coached her team to a victory for the 900th time in her career while leading the Raiders to back-to-back state titles for only the second time in program history.
Aquinas’ eight state titles rank second among Broward teams only to Cardinal Gibbons (20) and are now tied for the sixth-most in state history.
“I look up to her and she’s been such a role model for us,” Aquinas outside hitter and Broward 7A-5A Player of the Year Mikayla Porter said. “If you look at how many wins she has and how she develops players, that’s what attracts players to want to play for her. The skills she’s taught me have definitely helped.”
Arnold kept Cypress Bay on course and unscathed for its first 20 matches, which included a district championship and a victory in the regional semifinals over 2023 Class 7A state semifinalist Doral Academy. The Lightning made it to the regional finals for the first time since 2018 before losing to Boca Raton.
Ramirez has spent the past 11 seasons (eight as head coach and three as an assistant) trying to build North Broward Prep into a state title contender. A young core led the Eagles further than it had in over a decade. Ramirez stepped down after the season, but left behind a strong group capable of building on last year’s success.
