Niceville takes 7 seniors into district tourney

NICEVILLE — The sound bite could’ve easily applied to Niceville volleyball’s postseason streak of 17 straight regional appearances.

“Oh my gosh, it’s a beautiful thing,” said Karson Hinds, the Eagles coach and also a 2010 Niceville alumna.

Yet the subject at hand wasn’t the postseason. It was her seven seniors.

That includes libero Shayla Libby (Alabama Huntsville commit), setter Courtney Faulkner (Spring Hill), hitters Sarah Markwardt (Air Force), Grace McIntosh (Georgia Tech), Mia Hague and Lauren Frederic and defensive specialist Caroline Terrell.

Pacing the Eagles are Libby’s 204 digs, Faulkner’s 443 assists and 29 aces and McIntosh’s 154 kills. Markwardt has 136 kills and 94 digs and Hague has 124 kills and 31 blocks. Terrell has chipped in 102 digs and Frederic has 64 kills.

Paired with junior playmakers in Marissa Rung (57 kills and 45 blocks) and Angie Dzoba, the Eagles are blessed with a wealth of upperclassmen.

Upperclassmen means playoff experience. Playoff experience means confidence, which the Eagles don't lack for headed in tonight’s 7 p.m. District 1-8A semifinal at fourth-ranked Navarre.

“We do feel confident but not over-confident,” Hinds said. “I think this team is peaking at the right time. We’re peaking right now. We were humbled when we needed to be and we’ve responded.”

Headed into the district tournament, Niceville’s résumé speaks of a state-title contender.

The Eagles are 18-4 and 6-0 in district play, dropping just one of 19 sets against Gulf Breeze, Navarre and Tate.

Their four losses? All respectable.

There was a 3-0 loss at Leon, an 8A state runner-up in 2017. There was a 2-0 loss to 2017 state runner-up Webb from Tennessee, a 2-1 loss to 2017 Final Four qualifier Siegel from Tennessee and a 2-0 loss to 2017 Elite Eight qualifier Nation Ford out of South Carolina. The latter three losses came in the Southern Invitational in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Niceville won last year’s district title before a 3-2 loss to Lincoln in the region quarterfinals. Hinds stopped short of saying this year’s team is better. But this crew is focused on a deep postseason run, refusing to overlook any opponent.

“Every match I tell them, 'We’re both zero and zero and it doesn’t matter who’s across the net, whether it’s Leon or a district opponent. We just have to stay composed and play our game,' ” Hinds said.

As for that postseason streak, Hinds said it’s “not something that drives our girls.”

“This is a new year and they just want to get to the next level,” she added. “This is a different team, a different time. This is our time now.”

The other District 1-8A semifinal at Navarre is between No. 2 Gulf Breeze and No. 3 Tate at 5 p.m.