- December 4, 2025
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The Cardinal Mooney volleyball team has established itself as one of the premier programs in Southwest Florida since winning a state championship in 2019.
After graduating four seniors from last year’s 22-5 team that made it to a regional final, however, some might wonder if the Cougars can stay on top.
That doubt could work in Cardinal Mooney’s favor this fall.
“I think people are maybe expecting us to have a drop off, but I don’t think that’s going to happen this year,” senior setter Layla Larrick said. “We have a bunch of good talent. We just have to figure out how it’s going to mesh together.”
Cardinal Mooney graduated three of its top four hitters from last year in Izzy Russell, Riley Greene and Zoe Kirby as well as Katie Powers, the team leader in digs.
That’s a tough loss for any team, but it could wind up creating a better, and more unpredictable offense for opposing teams to stop.
There are talented returners to lead the transition.
Charlee Hermann, a 6-foot-2 hitter who had the team’s second-most kills last season, is back along with the setter, Larrick and right side Sydney Sparma (fifth-most kills, third-most digs).
Another returner is Kelsey Fisher, a 5-foot-10 senior outside hitter who didn’t play indoor volleyball in 2024, but was a part of the beach volleyball team’s No. 1 pairing alongside Russell this past spring.
“My coach in Tampa (Jeff Lamp) and coach (Allan Knight) are best friends, and there was a little bit of talking going on,” Fisher said. “Indoor is my first love, and I decided to come back. It’s my last year, so I might as well have fun.”
Some newcomers have players and coaches excited as well.
Sophomore Brooke Gruhl transferred in from Venice, where she had 697 assists last season for an Indians team that went 14-10 and made it to a regional final.
Outside hitter Gracie Cody is the team’s only freshman, but is already turning heads.
“She’s honestly impressed me the most,” Larrick said of Cody. “I’ve never seen a more mature freshman before. She hits the ball really hard. She has a few mechanicals to work on, but once she gets those down, she’ll be a really good player when she gets older.”
With a mix of returners, newcomers, seniors and underclassmen, coach Knight views depth as the strength of his 2025 team.
It may take time, however, for Knight and his staff to figure out how these players work together and in what rotations.
“I think we have a lot of really good young talent on this team, but we’ve also picked up a few players from here and there, and that’s also strengthened our depth as well,” Knight said. “With our returning talent, our young developed talent and some new players on our squad, I think we’re right back where we were, as strong as ever.”
Players have classes together, sit together at lunch, share jokes over team meals and constantly communicate via the team’s group chat.
“In our team group chat, we are already making jokes with each other and some of us have known each other for like a week,” Sparma said. “We are already very friendly with each other, which is a big part of a sport that involves a lot of communication with each other on the court.”
Knight will test his new team early and often.
Cardinal Mooney will play teams such as Port Charlotte (Class 5A state semifinals in 2024), Tampa Prep (2A Region-2 final in 2024), and play in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Gainesville, all within the first month of the season.
The district, however, will be the Cougars’ to lose.
District opponents include Avon Park (16-9 in 2024, lost to Cardinal Mooney 3-0 in district tournament), Lake Placid (9-15 in 2024) and Sarasota Military Academy (7-10 in 2024).
If Cardinal Mooney can win that district, the regular season won’t matter much beyond being a test for another run at a regional championship.
“I think we are right on that same path that we were on last year,” Knight said. “It’s our goal to make it past our region and get to states, and I think this is the team that can do it, but we have a very competitive region. Some of our goals are very short-term and some are long-term. We want to get a feel of what we have and what’s going to work best for us.”
