PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — With an 18-5 record heading into the playoffs, The Kings Academy volleyball team in Palm Beach County is one of the favorites to win the Florida state championship — and could also claim a seventh straight district title.
Coming into this volleyball season, few teams in the state were talked about more than The Kings Academy, and for good reason.
WATCH BELOW: Kings Academy volleyball team eyes state title
"This year has been a year of expectations to win some stuff because our team is so well-rounded," setter Jordan Molnar said.
Winning "some stuff" might be an understatement. The girls opened the season as one of the top teams in Palm Beach County and one of the favorites to win the state crown. Instead of feeding into the hype, the team came together with shared expectations.
"It's called the core covenant, and anytime they get a little sidetracked, we go back and refocus on those things that they said they wanted to do," head coach Bethafor Avila said.
They wanted to get over the hump of losing in regional play and win a state championship, and while they're primed to do just that, the girls are taking it one day at a time and focusing on district play, where they could win their seventh straight district title.
"A lot of the girls on the team have been for a while, so we've got to experience a lot of those district wins. It's just special that we get to do it for such an amazing school," middle hitter Ava Maldonado said.
At 18-5, the school might be amazing, but so are the Kings Academy volleyball team, who fully expect to put the entire state on notice.
"It's a lot of energy around because we know that we can do something big this year and we’re all just working hard to get to that," Molnar said.
"It's been fun; we have a great group of girls put together, and I think it's really nice to come together and compete with them," Maldonado said.
