PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — There's a saying that success doesn’t happen overnight, and for the girls of the Up on Top Volleyball team, that statement couldn’t be truer.
“My first year, we only won one set,” said Head Coach, Juan Delgado.
WATCH: LOCAL VOLLEYBALL TEAM PREPS FOR MASSIVE UPCOMING TOURNAMENT
Not one game, one set in the whole season. To no surprise, the lack of success was due to all the girls being six and seven years old, so it was their first time playing volleyball; however, the early struggles never worried these kids.
“You always can’t give up; you have to keep trying hard,” said Paige Harris, the teams right side.
Under the guidance of Head Coach Juan Delgado, the girls hit the ground running in year two, learning the basics of the sport.
“I’m working hard with the girls, and the next two years we started winning games and winning games,” said Coach Delgado.
In year two, the girls found themselves building confidence as they won more and more games over the last few years, but this year has been nothing short of special.
“The girls made a click, and hey, that’s it,” said Coach Delgado.
Oh, things clicked all right.
As it stands, there are only 69 11u volleyball teams in the state of Florida, and guess who’s number one?
You guessed it, the ladies of Up on Top, it’s a far cry from their early struggles just four years ago, and last month, they did the unthinkable.
“Winning Asics,” said center, Zara Fogleman.
You may not know this, but the ASICS Florida Volleyball Challenge is one of the premier junior tournaments in the world. The teams that win that tournament get invited to the USAV Volleyball Championship Games in Minneapolis, and let’s just say, when the girls won, they were speechless.
“We were all really excited because we’ve never been that far for a tournament,” said Fogleman.
“It was happy and exciting because it was our first time going out of state for a tournament,” said Harris.
From winning just one set four years ago to being the best team in the state, I think it’s safe to say we’re all proud of you, ladies.
