SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Beach volleyball and indoor volleyball are two different animals, but this week’s Sonic Prep Player of the Week can play both.
Brooke Stephens, a junior at Hagerty High School, played her first season this year in beach volleyball. Along with her partner, she has gone undefeated this year for the Hagerty Huskies. In fact, the Huskies won the 2022 FHSAA Beach Volleyball 1A District 11 championship on April 27.
Even though Stephens has played indoor volleyball for years, she now loves beach volleyball as well. She digs the challenge of the sand.
“Since there’s only two people, you need to be there at every single ball,” Stephens said. “Obviously, moving in the sand is a lot more difficult; it kind of slows you down. I think reacting to things faster like watching where their hand is going to go or what angle they’re facing so you know which way you’re moving, if you’re moving up or back or left or right or whatever. Just helping you make quicker decisions.”