Mosley volleyball prepares for regional run

LYNN HAVEN — Even before the season started, Steve Canfield was preparing his Mosley volleyball team for this moment.

The Dolphins (24-3) will host Tate (22-5) Wednesday at 7 p.m. in a Region 1-6A quarterfinal match at the Jim Redfern Gymnasium. Admission is $7.

Canfield filled the Dolphins’ schedule with a number of difficult matches that would get them accustomed to the level of talent they would encounter in the postseason. Mosley absorbed two defeats against Class 7A Tallahassee Chiles, but it was the opportunity to play a team possibly superior to his own that was so valuable.

“That was one thing going into the season that I was looking for,” Canfield said. “You have to schedule district matches. You have to schedule county matches. But once you’re done with that, the biggest goal was to put the toughest teams on the schedule I could. That’s why I put Chiles on the schedule.

“I told the girls this would be the toughest season they ever had as far as strength of schedule goes. Our strength of schedule is legitimate. … I wanted them to get used to that game speed, and we played through our schedule really well.”

Mosley has defeated District 1-5A champion Gulf Breeze, District 1-4A champion Pensacola Catholic, and Alabama’s Class 2A state champion Providence Christian twice. The Dolphins also outlasted Niceville in two of three matches, including a 25-17, 25-18, 16-25, 25-21 victory over the Eagles in the District 2-6A tournament title match last Thursday.

“Another big aspect of the district championship for us was getting someone other than Deanna (Canfield) and Cayce (May)” involved offensively, Canfield said. “They’ll be our primary hitters, but finding all our front row players involved and killing the ball (was crucial). Deanna and Cayce had all the kills when we lost to Niceville at home. The rest of the team had two. This time … we had 18 kills for the rest of the team. That’s a big difference.”

Mosley hasn’t played Tate, but Canfield said they have shared opponents such as Pace and Gulf Breeze. Without having seen the Aggies this season, there isn’t a lot for him to go by when projecting what kind of team the Dolphins will face Wednesday.

“You just go by common opponents,” he said. “What I can see is they have senior leadership, it seems like they run a 5-1 (scheme) and have a senior setter who is probably a pretty capable setter. They have two or three good hitters, too. That’s what I can see we’re up against.”