Return trip on tap
BUTLER TWP — The Lucas family just can't get enough volleyball.
Meghan Lucas is returning to coach the Butler High School girls volleyball team this fall. She had resigned that position after the 2012 season, having coached the Golden Tornado for 11 years.
Lucas is also returning her Renaissance U-13 club volleyball team to the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships in June. Her team took second at the Keystone Region Volleyball Association bid tournament recently at the York Expo Center.
Her youngest daughter, Sophia, is a member of that U-13 team. Lucas' middle daughter, Gabrielle, played on her U-13 team last year that competed at nationals in New Orleans.
“We're a volleyball family and we bring everyone to nationals,” Lucas said. “It's such a fun week. It's a true celebration of the sport.
“Players from the Olympic team show up. So do All-Americans. And it's neat to meet teams from all over the country.”
The Renaissance U-13 team finished 11th at last year's nationals. This year's nationals run from June 24 through July 3 in Indianapolis.
“We want to finish in the top 10,” Sophia said. “We want to finish higher than last year's team.”
No sibling rivalry there.
“Sophia was determined to get to nationals this year after watching her sister's team last year,” Lucas admitted.
“At the 13-under level, my goal is to get down the basic skills with these girls. Hold the serve and control the first hit. This team does a good job of that. We've missed very few serves and we win a lot of points off the serve.”
A third Lucas sister, Maria, is a freshman at Butler. Now that she's returning to the helm of the Golden Tornado, Lucas will be coaching all three of her daughters at the high school level.
“I was apprehensive about doing that at first,” she said. “That's one of the reasons I left Butler. I wanted them to be able to do their own thing.
“But now I feel refueled, re-energized. I needed the time away. Now I think I can contribute to the volleyball experience of my girls and the others on the team and I feel a responsibility to do that. I owe it to my girls to give it a go ... and they know the difference between coach and mom.”
The U-13 team won all eight of its matches on the first day of the bid tournament, then won two more the following day before losing to TCA of Philadelphia in the championship match. Two teams from the tournament receive bids to nationals.
Gabby Tumolo of St. Kilian in Cranberry Township is also a member of the team. Other players are from Pine-Richland, St. Thomas More, Peters Township, South Fayette, Northern Cambria and Canon McMillan.
The Renaissance Club is based in Green Tree.
“We practice three times a week for two hours,” said Sophia, an outside hitter. “It's pretty intense training. We push each other to work harder.”
Sophia also runs cross country in the fall and competes in the long jump, triple jump and 800 meters for the junior high track team.
As for being coached by her mother, Sophia says “it's a little different because she's harder on me, but I'm used to it.”
The Junior National Championships consist of more than 1,200 teams, 15,000 athletes and over 30,000 spectators annually. The tournament crowns 30 champions in age divisions ranging from 11 to 18.
