November 7, 2023

We’re proud to be a part of an ongoing partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is sponsoring our Player of the Week award. We’ll be releasing a featured vballrecruiter.com Player of the Week, sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on Tuesdays. Below is this week’s Player of the Week: Ella Florez. *** Ella Florez and her Mill Valley teammates did not start off the high school season looking like a state championship squad. The Jaguars dropped their first contest of the year to Blue Valley West. Two weeks later they lost to both Blue Valley North and Olathe South on the same day. From there though, Mill Valley began to step it up. At the end of September Florez and company split a pair of key matches, falling to St. James Academy but beating Blue Valley North in a rematch. There was one more setback from there, with an early-October loss to Olathe West. From there, Mill Valley closed the season on a 17-match winning streak, culminating with the Kansas 6A state championship after sweeping Blue Valley North in two games in the final. “I felt really confident going into the season,” said Florez, a 5-star setter from the Class of 2026. “We did lose a super good libero and a super good outside but we have girls who stepped up and a freshman who came in. That really gave me confidence in the team. I thought we could take it all the way.” Mill Valley defeated Blue Valley North once more before facing off in the state final, in a showdown on Oct. 11. Blue Valley North still wound up drawing the top seed for the 6A state playoffs, but Mill Valley finished the season 3-1 against the Mustangs. “Obviously, we were nervous a little bit,” Florez said of the state finals clash. “We all knew we could do it. We were able to shut them down from point one and went after it with everything we had. “It was very emotional. Parents, siblings, the whole team we were all crying. We all get along so well. Finishing off our season like that we could not have had a better way to finish it.” Florez grew up trying many different sports and activities. There was gymnastics, dance, softball and soccer, which she thought would be her sport of the future, before landing in volleyball. Her dad signed her up for club tryouts but “he played a little prank on me and told me it was just a camp,” Florez said. “I went in not knowing it was a tryout,” she said. “I came back and my dad said that I made the team. I was really excited. I ran around telling everyone I was playing club volleyball. I was only mad at him for like 10 minutes.” Florez was an outside for her 11s season. She started the 12s there too before transitioning to setting halfway through the season. She then ran a 5-1 during her 13s and 14s season before spending the past two club seasons setting and hitting. She played a dual role last year as a freshman for Mill Valley before taking over the reigns and running a 5-1 during this state championship season. Florez ended the year with 892 assists, averaging 9.2 per set. She finished the state championship match with 24 assists. She set her season-high mark with 51 in a four-set victory over De Soto in mid-October. “I feel more comfortable and confident running a 5-1 and taking more control running the offense,” Florez said. “I like to consider myself just a setter instead of a setter/hitter. Setting is what I want to primarily do.” After playing club for Dynasty, Florez is making the switch to Pohaku this year and playing her age group after playing up a year the past couple of seasons. She’s hoping to get to run a 5-1 this season. “From what I’m hearing I should be setting a 5-1,” she said. As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Florez about volleyball and more. Who is a role model or someone you look up to? Florez: I would say my sister (Lauren). She’s six years older. She played softball and she was a pitcher. She showed really good leadership and she was super competitive. I always looked up to her. I always want to exceed what she was doing on the field on the volleyball court. She gave me the competitiveness that I have now. If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would you do and why? Florez: I’d probably go on a shopping spree and go to the lake with my friends, tan and have fun with them. I love shopping for new makeup or anything like that. Like Sephora, I like to go to the mall and browse usually. Other than volleyball, what skill would you most like to learn and why? Florez: I wish I knew how to dance. It sounds funny but I watch dancers dance and I always with I could do that. They look so cool. Do you have any volleyball superstitions and if so what? Florez: If I play well on the first day, I’ll usually wear the same hair style the next day. On a bad day, I’ll change my hair style the next day. Also, my serving routine is the same every single time. Aside from necessities, what is one thing you could not go a day without? Florez: It’s talking to my family and friends. They are always there for me and it makes me happy. What is one thing that instantly makes your day better or makes you smile? Florez: My dog, Ace. He’s so cute. He has so much energy. He never runs out. When I got him they said he was a Chihuahua and Beagle mix but I don’t know that I believe them. What’s your favorite way to have fun? Florez: My