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Hernando Today

Dreams Do Come True

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By MARTY MILLER

Hernando Today correspondent

Published: May 5, 2008

When Central High volleyball player Amy Mihok was in seventh grade and just beginning her career in the sport, her mother Kirsten never would have believed that her daughter would one day play the sport in college.

"No, not at all," she recently said when Amy signed a volleyball scholarship to play at Lake Sumter Community College in Leesburg. "I never dreamed this would happen. Then she weighed maybe 90 pounds, she was so tiny."

But now Mihok has grown up a lot and this August will attend Lake Sumter and play for second-year coach Lisa Huntley. "We have three starters coming back next year and we need some outside hitters," said Huntley. "And after watching her in our tryouts and when she played for Central and club volleyball for the Hernando Juniors, Amy has some of the qualities that we need next year. She can play anywhere on the court and she's a good outside hitter."

Her high school coach, Vicki Weaver, also says that Mihok has the kind of abilities coaches want in a volleyball player.

"She's very versatile and she plays every position for us," described Weaver. "She started this year playing inside for us, but then when we brought someone up from the JV and needed an outside hitter, Amy played there. She jumps well, she's a strong hitter and she does well wherever we put her."

Last year Lake Sumter was 6-23 on the year and Huntley says that this year is almost a rebuilding season.

"I've signed eight players this year so we're pretty much going to have a new team."

Huntley also said that going to a junior college is something she can relate too.

"I went through the junior college ranks myself," reminded Huntley. "I played for Miami-Dade and then the University of Tennessee, so I can tell my players I've been there and done that and that they can use this as a stepping stone."

Mihok tried out for other school besides Lake Sumter and got some signs of interest from other schools.

"I tried out in January and I like Coach Huntley a lot," said Mihok. "And I had a really good time with the other players on the team."

Mihok intends to major in historical preservation or interior design and is uncertain what four-year school she will go to later.

Both she and her mother were glad that Amy will be going to a school that is so close to home.

"I'm glad she's playing so close to home instead of some far away school because now we can go to almost all of her games," her mother said.

With the signing, her high school coach admits that one of the most important things about college for a family, being able to afford it, it not a problem now.

"In this area, it's a financial burden and for some people," said Huntley, "it's almost too much of one."

"It's nice that Florida has a junior college system in place where high school kids can be close to home and still play volleyball," Weaver said.

Mihok says that having a good relationship with the coach and being close to home were the two main selling points.

"I know my parents like it because I'll be close to home," Mihok said. "But Coach Huntley is a really good coach and I hit it off with her right away. Besides, it's important that I can get home if something happens."

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