- December 24, 2024
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Matanzas setter Sydney Moses, left, will have a consistent passer feeding her the ball in Rylan Miller, right, one of the top-rated freshmen liberos in the country. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Dawn Moses takes over as the Pirates' head coach. She is also the head coach of the Matanzas beach volleyball team. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas took a team photo on a fire engine. Courtesy photo
Freshman Rylan Miller will be the Pirates' primary passer. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Sydney Moses sets for a hitter in practice. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Rylan Miller, right, and Sydney Moses will handle the first two touches on most Matanzas possessions. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Senior Sydney Moses and freshman Rylan Miller will have one season together at Matanzas. Photo by Brent Woronoff
It's not every day that one of the top freshman volleyball players in the country walks into your gym.
Rylan Miller didn't just stop by. She's the newest addition to the Matanzas High School varsity volleyball team.
"We are really lucky," said Dawn Moses, who is beginning her second stint as the Pirates' head coach.
Vballrecruiter.com ranks Miller as one of the top 100 players in the nation in the 2026 graduating class. The website listed Miller as one of the standouts at the libero position at June's Under Armour Orlando Next Selection Camp.
"Only the players going to the next level are invited to the Under Armour camp," Moses said.
Miller's family recently moved to Palm Coast from Dallas where she played for Texas Advantage Volleyball, one of the top volleyball clubs in the country. Now she is playing for another premier club team, OTVA Jacksonville, when she's not playing for the Pirates.
"I think we are going to be good," Miller said during a Matanzas practice on Aug. 11. "I just want to win for the seniors. I want them to go out on a high, have a good last year."
Miller's arrival allows senior Sydney Moses, Dawn's daughter, to move back to the setter's position after playing a lot at libero last year. A fourth year starter, Sydney Moses enters her senior year with 1,103 career assists and 734 digs.
"I like having (Rylan) at libero, because I know the ball's always coming to me," Sydney Moses said. "It's nice having a consistent passer."
Miller is more than a consistent passer. She is an athletic and skilled defensive player with exceptional court awareness.
"She has all the basic skills down," Coach Moses said. "She'll be our primary passer. She'll be on the court for all of our rotations, and she'll serve for one of the middles."
Miller has always played libero, volleyball's specialty position. Liberos wear a different colored jersey and always line up in the back row. They receive most of the serves, making the first pass to start the offense. Being a good libero takes hard work and discipline, Miller said.
"I've always been a passer. I just like the action. Being a part of everything is fun. Making plays is fun," she said. "I like defense, keeping the ball off the floor. That's my favorite part of it."
"I like defense, keeping the ball off the floor. That's my favorite part of it."
— RYLAN MILLER
With Sydney Moses moving back to setter, versatile junior Senna Thayer will move to outside hitter.
"It has a trickle-down effect," Dawn Moses said. "On the other hand, they were willing to do what we asked of them last year."
"It's the last time I'll be playing for the Pirates, but it's going to be a great year because it's the last time I'm going to be playing with all of these amazing girls."
— SYDNEY MOSES
Moses was the Pirates' head coach in 2016 before taking over the Father Lopez program for two seasons. She was an assistant coach with Matanzas for the past three seasons and was named head coach after Julie Menendez stepped down after last season. Moses is also the Pirates' beach volleyball head coach.
Matanzas went 11-11 last season, and they lost senior outside hitter Emma Wood, who had 289 kills.
"It will be hard to fill her shoes with how much she brought to the court," Sydney Moses said. "Our hitters are not as experienced, but with time, I think it will come to them. I've already seen a lot of improvement.
"I think we're going to have a good season," she added. "This is my last high school season, and it's fun but sad at the same time. It's the last time I'll be playing for the Pirates, but it's going to be a great year because it's the last time I'm going to be playing with all of these amazing girls."
