Bishop Kenny chases inaugural FHSAA beach volleyball championship in Tallahassee

Bishop Kenny's Tina Nika already helped raise a state volleyball trophy last year.

The senior and her Crusaders teammates might be one weekend away from repeating the feat on the sand.

"It's feeling like an incredible blessing, honestly," she said. "We put in so much time and energy and sacrifice into our program."

Bishop Kenny is chasing the chance to enter the history books as the first officially-recognized Florida High School Athletic Association beach volleyball champions at the inaugural state tournament on Friday and Saturday in Tallahassee.

Bishop Kenny and 15 other schools are gathering at the Florida State University Beach Volleyball Courts, playing up to two matches per day — regional semis and finals Friday, followed by state semifinals and the championship Saturday.

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A year after the FHSAA officially sanctioned a state tournament in the sport, Bishop Kenny begins its trek to Tallahassee in the top five of the national rankings and eager to become the state's first indoor-outdoor champions.

"It's very, very exciting," Bishop Kenny coach Suzanne Winkler said. "We've waited for this moment for a whole year now."

They're no stranger to the championship thrill. Several players on BK's senior-heavy squad lined up for the Crusaders on the Class 4A indoor volleyball championship team of 2020, when they defeated 20-time state champion Cardinal Gibbons 29-27, 25-18, 17-25, 25-20.

"It's pretty crazy, already having two opportunities as a sophomore," said Claudia Stockard, among the BK players in pursuit of a second championship. "I was really nervous getting thrown onto the varsity as a freshman last year [indoors] and having to work extra hard in practice, but it was all worth it in the end when we won."

On the beach, Bishop Kenny has made the most of contrasting styles. A classic example is the pair of Nika, a senior who normally plays libero indoors, and sophomore Stockard, a middle blocker.

"I'm just a very fiery, passionate player, and Claudia is as well, but she brings that goofy side to her," Nika said. "So whenever I'm too serious, she'll just make me laugh and get me right back into it."

In Tallahassee, the schedule of events turns particularly hectic.

The Crusaders take on Tallahassee Leon bright and early Friday, an 8 a.m. start that ranks among the earliest for any high school sports. If they win, they'll play again at 4 p.m. against New Smyrna Beach or Ocala Trinity Catholic for the regional championship.

Then comes a state semifinal at 10 a.m. Saturday, ahead of a possible match for the FHSAA title at 3 p.m. Saturday.

That's a lot of volleyball.

"It's going to be a lot of self-discipline and hydrating and just keeping that focal point of energy conservation, especially when you get into those longevity matches in the span of a day," Winkler said.

Still, the Crusaders have cause for confidence. Not only have they honed their skills on the sand for years — Bishop Kenny's installation of beach volleyball courts on campus predates the FHSAA's official recognition of the sport for several years — but they've already shown they can compete with anyone in the Sunshine State.

Last spring, on the sand, Bishop Kenny finished second in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference beach volleyball finals, before the FHSAA began its tournament.

The only team to defeat Bishop Kenny this year was New Smyrna Beach, a 3-2 contest on March 5 in which both teams were below full strength. But the Crusaders turned the tables on their Volusia County rivals on March 29, also by a 3-2 count.

"That defeat motivated us even more to come out with that fire, and just to know that there's going to be teams that are just as good as us," Nika said. "It all just comes down to who wants it more and who wants to put in the work harder."

In the FHSAA format, which matches teams in five pairs on the sand, depth is crucial.

Winkler said the previous New Smyrna Beach encounter particularly helped Bishop Kenny prepare its less experienced players for championship-level competition.

"I think it was just a great growing point for the girls to realize that we do have a lot of great depth and a lot of our younger players got to play, and we were still right there," Winkler said. "That was a moment where we realized we could push our younger players to kind of make this one complete team, and we're just having a lot of fun with it."

There's a real chance that the Region 1 victor on Friday will end up carrying home the state trophy. The MaxPreps national rankings list Bishop Kenny third in the United States and New Smyrna Beach fifth. Along with Miami Westminster Christian and Oviedo Hagerty, they're among the pre-tournament favorites.

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"For these girls, it's just getting back there, really trying to be where we were last year and if possible to take that next step," Winkler said.

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school beach volleyball: Bishop Kenny ready for inaugural FHSAA tournament