The Coral Gables Senior High Lady Cavaliers volleyball team is already in match play, opening its 2026 season Aug. 11, after a summer spent grinding through three-hour morning practices with one goal: repeat as district champions.

The Lady Cavs finished 2025 with an 18-9 record, a playoff berth and a district championship. Seven of the 11 players on that title-winning roster came through G.W. Carver Middle School, the school noted on X in October 2025.

"I'm so excited to advance as a team and connect with all my teammates. We have been preparing for three hours a day every morning, so our goal of winning districts again is hopefully not too far out of reach for us," junior Isabella Lehnen told CavsConnect, the school's student newspaper.

Sophomore Gabriela Arias and co-captains Natasha Macau and Valentina Amador lead the squad. Arias said the team bonded off the court through pasta nights, tie-dying sessions and car washes, activities she credited with strengthening on-court chemistry even before the first whistle.

Junior Agustina Gonzalez spent June competing in club volleyball and nationals, supplementing her summer with strength conditioning, plyometrics and isometrics before rejoining the team for July practices.

Throughout July, the Lady Cavs drilled passing, setting and hitting in the gymnasium, mixing in six-on-six scrimmages and conditioning sessions. The team officially began its season Aug. 1, with new players joining the roster and a stated focus on communication and positive energy.

The Cavaliers football team kicks off its own season Aug. 21 at 7:30 p.m. against Miami. Volleyball fans can track the Lady Cavs' full schedule on MaxPreps as the team pushes toward another district title run.