Taking over the gym at Coral Gables Senior High School throughout the fall season, the Lady Cavaliers Volleyball team has mastered the art of combining grit and character to execute a stellar play. Collaborating spontaneously in each set, their ability to blindside opponents showcases their synchronization on the court.
Stepping onto the court with a renewed sense of training and guidance, Lady Cavaliers savor the opportunity to share their expertise with younger generations thanks to Cavs Clinics. The clinic offers conditioning exercises and strategic gameplay skills, presenting novice volleyball players with an environment dedicated to their personal improvement.
With the 2025 volleyball season set into motion, the Lady Cavaliers sought to instill their passion for the sport onto others. After brainstorming their ideas and proposing a younger audience as the target, they placed their efforts towards conditioning clinics, known as “Cavs Clinics”.
To establish a tailored approach that leaves a lasting impact on others, Gables’ boys volleyball team and coach Angela Brown lent a helping hand. Allured to the conditioning for the opportunity to improve, many of Browns’ novice players from her primary company, Phoenix Volleyball, were eager to participate.
Being a sport built on a foundation of technique, the founders realized how volleyball calls for a consistent use of quick thinking. They designed Cavs Clinics to go beyond learning volleyball terminology and offered one-on-one training with experienced players allowing trainees to project themselves onto the sport.
Dividing the trainings into two sessions with kids in different age groups, these combined drills sparked friendly competition over six weeks. Instead of concentrating on specific skill sets of positions such as libero and outside hitter, the clinics allow each trainee to decide the direction they want to take in their athletic future.
The Lady Cavaliers begin each lesson by polishing and perfecting the fundamentals of the sport, encouraging younger players to execute critical skills needed in the game of volleyball. Whether it is serving, spiking or bumping, for roughly one hour across six days students in elementary and middle school divisions undergo training involving ball control, running and hand-eye coordination.
“Starting early gives them an advantage; they develop good habits, learn proper techniques and gain confidence on the court. It’s really rewarding to see their progress, even in small things like being able to pass better or serve over the net…Hopefully, we’re helping shape the next generation of athletes who might one day represent Coral Gables or play at higher levels,” sophomore and volleyball manager Orge said.
To the surprise of the Lady Cavaliers, these drills among others showed off the improvements of their mentees throughout the clinics, leaving them with a sense of pride.
Keeping in mind that a players’ mindset determines their performance on the court, the Lady Cavaliers maintain a positive attitude when maneuvering through mistakes. They each gain insight into the mental and physical endeavors throughout plays, growing closer professionally and personally.
By helping their protegees beat their endeavors, Gables trainers find themselves reminiscing on their past positions throughout their progression. Coaches and students alike face the challenges of training inexperienced rookies, but overcome them head-on as a team in hopes of enhancing their trainees’ technique.
“A piece of advice I wish I had known is that volleyball is a game of mistakes and that you must commit to in order to grow and improve as a player…It has brought us closer because I think it set us up as a role model for the younger girls and hopefully inspired them to want to play volleyball in the future. A lot of the younger girls even came to games like our senior night…” senior and Cavs Clinic coach Corina Mcdanal said.
Making the most of the Cavs Clinics as an outlet to share their favorite past time, the Lady Cavaliers volleyball team remains dedicated to pursuing the success and self-improvement of their mentees. The novice and experienced girls intend to continue helping younger players nourish their passion for the sport, expanding on the fundamentals they were trained on and also extending their talents beyond the court.
“The benefits are how rewarding it is when one of the kids finally get something right after you’ve been working to teach them. Another benefit is that it [improved] my public speaking since I really had to make sure the kids were paying attention…sometimes they wouldn’t listen, so we had to find ways to keep the kids engaged, like giving them little prizes after drills,” senior and Cavs Clinic coach McDanal said.
