Even mix

In Hernando County volleyball this season, one team rose clearly above the rest, as Nature Coast went 3-0 in county matches without dropping a game.
The Lady Sharks went on to claim the Class 4A, District 8 championship for the second time in three years, advance to regionals for the sixth consecutive season and finally move on to the Sweet 16.
But that doesn't mean their local brethren didn't get anything accomplished this year; far from it.
Central made it out of Class 5A, District 7, reaching regionals for the first time since 2006 under first-year Head Coach Emily Gore.
Springstead went 13-10 in Head Coach Darcy Hinton's second campaign, marking the program's first winning season since 1993.
And Hernando Christian Academy beat both of them, while also notching a home triumph over eventual regional finalist and district-rival Tampa-Bayshore Christian.
So it makes sense that the 2009 Hernando Today All-County Team features an even mix of selections from the four aforementioned squads.
From Nature Coast, the trio of Courtney Liddle, Alex Livengood and Rachel Powell received a nod.
So did Central's Quynn Fonseca and Raqurra Ishmar, Springstead's Megan Morrison and Allyson Schillinger, as well as Madeline Hanshaw and Madison Manuel from HCA.
Livengood was named Player of the Year for the third straight season, while Nature Coast's Dan Murphy took Coach of the Year honors.
"I'm honored," Murphy said. "I just had a group of girls that were very talented. All I did was push them along. They did it all."

Tremendous trio

The Lady Sharks came in this year with a roster including six sophomores and a freshman. But they could lean on their two seniors, Livengood and Powell, not to mention Liddle, one of those sophomores.
Led by that tremendous trio, Nature Coast went 21-9 and had its best run in terms of postseason success, losing in five games of a regional semifinal at Hudson, the team that went on to win the region.
"They were definitely the heart and soul of our team," Murphy said of his three top players.
Livengood, a four-time All-County pick, remained the standout star with a team-high 415 kills. But opposing defenses couldn't hone in on her alone.
Liddle, already making her second All-County appearance, posted 353 kills while pacing the Lady Sharks in aces (127) and digs (293).
Interestingly, she put together her two most impressive performances in regionals, notching a then season-high 22 kills in a quarterfinal win over Ridgewood and topping that with 26 in the semifinal versus Hudson.
"Courtney (improved) every which way this year," Murphy said. "There wasn't anything she tried that she didn't excel in.
"...I expect her to be the first true Division I player this county has ever produced. I expect to see her going to one of the top schools in the country.
"She's already had 18 different letters. Schools like Penn State, Duke, Alabama, Texas, LSU, Oregon. It doesn't matter where in the country. She's gotten them from all over the place."
That should be a good sign for the future of the Lady Sharks, as Liddle figures to shift even further to the forefront during the next two seasons. Murphy already noted that she has taken on a leadership role.
"I think it's her deep-down desire to do her absolute best," Murphy said of what makes Liddle special. "She doesn't get frustrated if the others mess up here and there. She keeps pushing and pushing to do her best. She's got the attitude that it's a team game and not a one-person game."
Following the season-ending loss at Hudson, Liddle made sure to mention the work of Powell, the setter who helped make all of Liddle and Livengood's kills possible.
Powell posted 732 assists, averaging 8.9 per game, putting together her finest prep season in three years on the varsity level.
"This was definitely the best year of her three," Murphy said. "She became more of a vocal leader. She probably picked that up playing (club ball) out of Tampa, as well as leading our team. She did good that way.
"She definitely improved with how she let the girls know what she wanted to run. Her leadership ability was pretty much there."

Central figure

Fonseca, a senior middle hitter, completed a superb prep career with her third All-County selection.
The team's top attacker, she delivered the Lady Bears to a 13-9 mark, a second-place finish in 5A-7 and a regional quarterfinal at Armwood.
"Quynn was basically our statistical leader in almost every category," Gore said. "She was our go-to player. When we needed a big play, she was the one that gave that to us and she was a complete player. She can pretty much do it all."
Ishmar had to sit out last season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament, but bounced back in her junior year to provide Central with a dominant player on the outside.
"Raqurra is a great athlete. She'll do a great job next year filling in for Quynn," Gore said. "The surprising thing is, last year she didn't play volleyball. She had one year of JV volleyball experience and stepped right in.
"She does a great job. She's very athletic. She's the type of player that can step up and make plays and really change a game."
With Hinton taking over, Springstead was the breakout club of 2008 going 13-13 for its first non-losing campaign in 15 years.
The Lady Eagles continued their rise this season despite losing their lone All-County representative from the previous year in Michelle DeJesus.
Fortunately for Springstead, a pair of sophomores stepped up in Morrison, a middle hitter, and Schillinger, a setter.
Morrison paced the team with 185 kills and 63 blocks. Schillinger followed with 105 kills to go along with 137 assists, 309 serve/receives and 2.4 digs per game.
"What the record can't convey is that we challenged Megan quite a bit this season," Hinton said. "For what I put on her and to come out with those numbers is extraordinary.
"...She's got a great head on her shoulders, great common sense. She understands things quickly. She's a great auditory learner. And she was motivated to win first place. It's extraordinary to have that innate in a hitter or any player.
"Allyson is the kind of player who we can be down 24-0 and she believes we can still win the game. I knew I had to keep Allyson on the floor all the time for us to have a shot at winning. She won't let them give up. She's always charging the hill."

Second best?

Considering HCA defeated both Central and Springstead in head-to-head matches, the Lady Lions could realistically call themselves the county's second-best team.
HCA finished 13-13 and didn't reach regionals, but playing in Class 1A, District 8 with Bayshore Christian and Bradenton Christian, who played each other in the Sweet 16, didn't help the cause.
With the sophomore Hanshaw and senior Manuel on the outside, the Lady Lions had a balanced attack. Unfortunately Manuel missed two weeks and remained somewhat limited with a sprained ankle.
"Madeline was just real consistent for us," HCA Head Coach Sue Murphy said. "She had a great attitude. She was the team leader and just really improved a lot.
"Madison, before she got hurt, was our go-to person and team leader. We was just a consistent player all around."

2009 Hernando Today All-County Volleyball Team
Player Sch Yr Position
Fonseca, Quynn# CEN Sr MH
Hanshaw, Madeline HCA Jr OH
Ishmar, Raqurra CEN Jr OH
Liddle, Courtney NCT So OH
Livengood, Alex^ NCT Sr OH
Manuel, Madison HCA Sr OH
Morrison, Megan SPG So MH
Powell, Rachel NCT Sr Setter
Schillinger, Allyson SPG So Setter
Player of the Year - Alex Livengood# (NCT)
Coach of the Year - Dan Murphy (NCT)
* Denotes repeat selection
# Denotes three-time selection
^ Denotes four-time selection