North volleyball roars toward successful season

North Fort Myers High School volleyball captains Lindsey Stramel and Katelyn Kelly have known the feeling of being on a powerhouse team.
They also know about having to rebuild and the pain that is sometimes involved.
Now, as seniors, they have a chance to smell success one final time as the Red Knights have built themselves back toward the top of their district, thanks to a gritty young team and the ability to take care of business at home.
North did just that on Thursday, overcoming slow starts in each game to defeat a tough Estero team 3-1 (25-14, 25-23, 19-25, 25-21) to win its fourth straight and improve to 14-6 on the season and to remain unbeaten at home with a 9-0 mark.
“We do well together, we know where we’re going to be and have good chemistry,” Stramel said, who along with Kelly were freshmen when North made it to the regional finals.
Following an 11-11 record last season, and not being expected to do much this season with only two seniors, the girls wanted to prove they were better than many gave them credit for.
“One thing I’ve learned about this team is that they do not quit. They are mentally and physically tough and focused. They came in with a goal of proving people wrong and they’ve done that,” North coach Nancy Eskay said.
“We’ve worked hard to be where we’re at. We weren’t where we’re at the last couple years and for our senior years we wanted to go out with a boom,” Kelly said.
It hasn’t been all the work of the seniors. Kelly leads the district with 187 digs, but Julie Sherer leads with 355 assists and Madison Prusak leads with kills with 187 and is second in digs with 155.
As for the team’s home record, Eskay said it has a lot to do with the fans.
“We have great fans. They know when to cheer and when to be that seventh man for us,” Eskay said. “They know when we need a pickup and when to chant ‘Red.’ We also have girls with pride, so coming into the gym is important to them.'”
North finished 4-1 in District 6A-11, second only to powerhouse Venice, which gives them at least one home playoff game, likely against Port Charlotte.
Estero (8-12), which beat North early in the season, again gave the Red Knights everything it had, running up early leads of 10-5, 10-3, 9-3 and 10-3, respectively, only to have North scramble back with a late rally.
North outscored the Wildcats 20-4 to win Game 1, overcame a 17-11 deficit with a 14-6 run to end game two and after losing the third game and turning over the momentum to Estero, overcame a 21-16 deficit as Bailey Harris served out eight straight points for the match.
“We would probably have preferred to not go down by six or seven points in every game, but we proved they are tough, focused and definitely did not give up,” Eskay said.
With the postseason coming next week, the girls said they have nothing to worry about as long as they continue to take care of business.
“As long as we play like we have, with fight and heart. I think we have a chance,” Kelly said.