Talented Senior Trio Eyeing State Championship

When the Marco Island Academy volleyball hosted two local powers, Seacrest and Community School, on Tuesday, August 12 and Thursday, August 14, and came away with straight sets victories, coach Alyssa Stolinas saw four years of growth in chemistry, leadership, and confidence coming to fruition.

Four years ago, Stolinas brought together three promising freshmen, Madison Stolinas, Medney Garraux, and Rylee Howard, who she - and others - felt may someday lead MIA to a state championship. Well, that someday has arrived. And Tuesday’s program-first win over Seacrest, who has won four state championships in the past decade, makes Stolinas’s dream seem real. The players credit their improvement to open gyms, a strong off-court sisterhood, improved agility, mental resilience, and the ability to support younger players under pressure. Looking ahead to districts and potential matchups with First Baptist Academy, another state power, they feel validated, united, and intent on capitalizing on their senior season. Garraux, who is navigating a demanding college recruiting process with family guidance, led the state in kills last season and leads a veteran lineup aiming for a breakthrough season. For Stolinas and Howard, who don’t have college volleyball aspirations, the future is now.

The Rays and their veteran coach don’t shy away from talking about their goal of winning a state championship. Madison Stolinas, the coach’s niece and the team’s captain, emphasizes the team’s growing bond on and off the court. Gone are cases of the nerves against historically strong opponents like Seacrest. Now the Rays’ veteran leadership sets a calm, confident tone. The lineup features key additions, notably Giuliana Batelli, whose experience provides another outside weapon and eases the scoring burden on Garraux.

Madison says offseason work - strength, core power, plyometrics, and weight loss - has improved her vertical jump, agility, and confidence.

"I feel like I definitely needed to lose that weight to become a better player,” she said, "not only in a physical way, but mentally as well, because that was something that I was always so harsh on myself on, but now I can feel myself jumping higher and I'm pushing myself to those next levels.”

The talented trio have been mentoring freshmen transitioning from middle school pace, using composure, focus on technique, and “blow your candles” breathing to manage pressure.

"The team employs simple breathing routines like blow your candles and positive self-talk after mistakes,” Coach Stolinas said. "They normalize errors, emphasizing quick resets and focusing on the next point."

The trio recalls growing pains when they had to rely on underclassmen in key roles. They also remember a tough regional loss to Jupiter, and teammates trying to manage off-court conflicts without affecting play. The seniors describe a sister-like friendship, constant time together, clear role strengths - Madison’s mental leadership, Medney’s hype energy, and Rylie’s lightheartedness - and collective problem-solving on the court. The trio aims to capitalize on their final season, believing all the pieces are finally in place.

"I knew what's happening now was what was going to happen,” Coach Stolinas said. “Great things take time. It's something that I stress to them all the time. The results that we want are not going to happen overnight. That's something that we have always talked about since their freshman year. We want people to respect us the way they respect these other schools. We want them to look at us the same way. I think this year we have really gotten to the point of people respecting us. And that's something that we've been trying to build since their freshman year."

Stolinas believes the addition of Batelli is the missing piece to the puzzle for MIA.

“She's played high school volleyball before,” Stolinas said, "and she also plays high-level club volleyball. So, she's used to that fast-paced game. She was definitely a piece that we needed. We have the pieces in place."

“Now we don't have to rely on Medney for as many points,” Madison Stolinas said. "And now she doesn't feel like she has to carry the weight of the team on her back. Because before she was my main option to go to when we were in tough situations, when I knew we needed to put the ball away.”

Garraux, who dominated with 502 kills last season, has returned for her senior season in the best condition of her life.

"I put in the work over the summer to really grow my vertical and my strength and my core power because that's something that I never really had,” Garraux said. "So, I wanted to work on that more so I can be better for my senior year. And I think that I did. Coach Alyssa always says you can show up every day to practice, but it's what you do in the off time that really is going to make the difference."

Howard has also seen changes in her fitness level.

"We've had open gyms,” Howard said, "weight rooms all summer, and I did not miss a single one. We have been working on muscle. I feel like we've all grown a lot muscle-wise and athletically compared to where we used to be. We have so much more confidence now. I feel like we’ve just built our confidence ten times more."

The trio credits their off-court closeness for their on-court success.

"I couldn't imagine this experience with anyone else except these two,” Howard said, “it's like perfect that it's us three together and not separate."

"They were at my house for the first day of school pictures,” Madison said. "They’re sisters."

"We pretty much spend every moment outside of volleyball together,” Garraux said. "Unless we have work or something."

“And they work together,” said coach Stolinas with a laugh.

"Before school, after school,” Madison said, "we always come to my house and we carpool.”

Madison Stolinas said that closeness has been forged over time. She recalls a fallout she had with Howard last season.

“Me and Rylee have been friends since middle school,” Madison said, "and we are more like sisters than friends. Last season, we got in a fight and that caused us to stop being friends for a little bit. But that never affected us on the court. When we step in these gym doors, we know that everything that's not volleyball-related is left outside those doors."

“No one in the crowd could tell that we were not friends at the moment,” Howard said.

"We know how to separate our outside lives from our volleyball lives,” Madison said. “As we all know, I am Alyssa's niece. I know how to separate her being my coach versus her being my aunt. I feel that I am very good at separating the two. And that's also something that I feel like we have all done. Because even though as many times as we get mad at each other on the court or annoyed, we're still best friends off the court, and we never take anything into the game and never take anything out of the game that can affect our friendships."

Part of the team’s confidence is derived from the seniors' ability to help the underclassmen.

"They come in from middle school, and middle school is very different from a high school game,” Madison said. "So, they're not used to the fast-paced games that we run. So, they look up to us to get them into the groove of knowing how to play high school volleyball. I feel like us as three senior leaders do a great job of leading them towards relaxing, calming down their nerves, playing their game, helping them focus to zone and not worry about the crowd or who's in the crowd. Focusing on improving their technique during the game.”

When momentum dips, the three seniors diagnose issues collectively rather than relying on a single leader. This shared responsibility reflects growth from earlier years. They realize that their leadership is essential to the team’s goal of going all the way.

“Last year, their junior year, we had no seniors,” Coach Stolinas said. "So, the team we built that year was really what was going to be our future here. And having Giuliana was just an added piece. We never really expect her to come. And then when she finally transferred, we were like, ‘Hey, okay, this is great. This is amazing.' But, you know, last year, their junior year, we knew from day one that this was the team that we needed to get ready for senior year. And we tried to never look ahead. But in certain situations, you kind of almost have to. Because there are three talented players and at the end of the day, when it's all said and done and they play their last game and they move on from this school, they can look back and say ‘Hey, we built that foundation.' And that's something that they can be proud of and say they built it every step of the way. I think every time we lost in the regional or even coming up short for district, I always told them to remember that feeling. Remember how it felt. So, when you're training in the off-season you don't want to end up in the same place next year. That's something that they really took to heart, and they really took it and ran with it. They said they were tired of feeling like this. I tell them all the time, and I hate reminding them because it makes me sad, but this is their last ride. There's no going back. They won't ever get this moment back. And I think if they play like that all season, they're going to be unstoppable."