Page 108 - 2020 AIA Volleyball Championship Program

1A: fAmily-cenTered ApproAch from miller guiding sT. dAvid
By Jose Garcia AZPreps365.com
St. David claimed the 1A Conference volleyball crown in 2019 and finished ranked No. 1 heading into this year’s state tournament.
But even St. David isn’t speculating that it’s the favorite this year once the tournament starts Nov. 13 at Coronado High School. It’s the same site where the 1A defending champ won the program’s 8th overall title last year.
Since then, however, St. David’s roster replaced six integral seniors and a life changing pandemic struck. Because of the pandemic, regular season volleyball tournaments that can help integrate new players were eliminated.
This year’s St. David team gelled along the way while playing just 13 matches. But helping the girls bond while she dispersed important life lessons is one of 1A’s best coaches, Tylene Miller.
After serving as an assistant for six seasons, Miller’s been overseeing the program as head coach since 2001.
“Our goal is to be back-to-back champions, but like I tell the girls, that’s easier said than done,” Miller said.
The 1982-83 St. David teams were the first and only ones in the program’s history (8-8 record in title games) to win back-to-back titles.
This season, it took a while for six seniors, two sophomores and three freshmen to settle into their roles. But Miller did have some piec- es in place from the start.
Senior Brylee Murray’s been starting since she was a freshman. There was also one of the team’s humble leaders, Sydney Klump, a six rotation player and go-to hitter on the outside.
And Kayla Judd arose as a legitimate threat in the middle during last year’s state championship run. As juniors, Judd and Klump’s joined St. David last year.
Filling valuable roles this year were senior middle blocker Jaelyn Goodman and Goldi Merrill, a senior defensive specialist who became the team’s setter this year.
“We just experimented with different things and learned to com- municate better,” Miller said.
St. David dropped only one match this year, a five setter to 2A’s Morenci in the second match of the season.
It was also challenged by 2A Benson during another five set match late in the regular season. The only other time St. David dropped a game this season was against Valley Union.
Not playing regular season tournaments also kept teams from scouting the talent around the state. On St. David’s side of the 1A state bracket, San Simon is the only team St. David has played this year.
Miller’s squad will open against Lincoln Prep, a second year Arizona Interscholastic Association program. If they advance to the second round, St.David and North Phoenix Prep (12-2), a program that finished ranked 4th and is led by senior outside hitters Emily Lister and Sofija Brnovich, might face off.
St. David also didn’t see a couple of 2A programs that moved down to 1A, San Simon and Tempe Prep, one of the two teams St. David could potentially face in the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket is a team St. David is very familiar with, Mogollon.
The two perennial favorites squared off in the state championship match in three of the last four years. At 13-2, Mogollon coach Valerie Reynolds’ program is having another strong season and boasts 1A’s top outside hitter, Isabella Horn.
The 5-10 Horn, the leader in kills in 1A, and Leading Edge Acade- my’s Carrie Hanzuk were the only players in the conference with more than 200 kills this season. Three years ago, Miller said she planned to retire from coaching after watching this year’s senior class graduate.
Three years ago, Miller and her husband, Marlin, also was when they unexpectedly lost their young daughter, Kielee.
“We did everything together,” Miller said. “I still in a sense take her on the court with me. When we took team pictures a couple of days ago, one of the players picked the wrong jersey. The only one that was left was the one with the number 18. That was my daughter’s number. So it’s the little things that bring back memories of her.”
Volleyball and the St. David community helped her cope with her daughter’s death and keep moving forward.
For the time being, Miller shelved her retirement plans. She didn’t want to retire during the pandemic and while her gym’s floor was being replaced.
The team’s been playing in the cafeteria of St. David’s middle school.
“I don’t want to end on a crazy year,” she said.
If St. David advances to the Nov. 14 semifinals, it’ll be without assistant coach Breana Tillett for a good reason.
Tillett’s sister is getting married on that day. But if St. David ad- vances to the Nov. 14 afternoon final at Coronado, Tillett will rejoin the team.
Miller said Tillett felt bad about potentially missing the semifinals. “I told (Tillett) family comes first,” Miller said.
It’s one of the many important lessons Miller has taught her teams
throughout the years.
St. David, the defending 1A volleyball champ, finished this season ranked No. 1 and is seeking the program’s ninth overall title (Darin Sicurello photo/MaxPreps)