All-First Coast volleyball player of the year: Zeta Washington, Ponte Vedra

It always made sense that Zeta Washington would grow into a star on the court and a force at the net.

Just a different court, and a different net, from the ones that people might have imagined.

Developing into a devastating attacking weapon on St. Johns County's dynasty, the junior middle blocker is the Times-Union's All-First Coast player of the year for high school volleyball.

Back to 100 percent after powering through past injury troubles, she showed the Sunshine State once again what she can do.

"It was a long time coming, especially getting my vertical leap back," she said.

Washington delivered 313 kills with a .474 hitting percentage, to go with 61 aces and 60 blocks, as the Sharks qualified for their third consecutive Florida High School Athletic Association state final.

The awards have piled up, too. She finished as runner-up for Class 6A player of the year in 2021, and MaxPreps named her to the national Underclass All-American team, for volleyball players in the 2023 class and later.

And look out, Florida. With one year remaining at Ponte Vedra, Washington could be stronger than ever entering her last year of high school.

"She's gotten more of an all-around game," said Robin Mignerey, who coached Washington during her first three seasons at Ponte Vedra, "and she's always been a great hitter."

Change of court

The family's athletic history is going strong.

Zeta's father, MaliVai Washington, won four tournament championships on the ATP Tour and advanced to the men's singles final at Wimbledon in 1996. Based on her family background, it's easy to imagine she might have followed her father's path onto the tennis court.

But while she did play tennis briefly while growing up — she said it "didn't really stick" for her — she found her athletic home in team sports instead.

That meant lacrosse. Softball. Especially volleyball.

"Volleyball just kind of latched onto me and found a place in my heart," she said. "It really just went up from there."

Although she began playing volleyball early in her elementary school years, it wasn't until around seventh or eighth grade that she really began to break through in the sport.

"I was in the gym day and night," she said. "I really developed an arm swing and started gaining these skills I didn't even know I had."

Mignerey was familiar with Washington's game going back to Landrum Middle School, and knew she was going to bring speed and athleticism to the Sharks. But even with that advance notice, watching her first practice in Ponte Vedra colors still left an instant impression.

"We were doing workouts and sprints... and this freshman just crushed everybody," Mignerey said.

As a freshman, Washington immediately took over as the Sharks' middle, blasting 313 kills. She hasn't slowed down.

Teamwork pays off

Although Washington is now up to 775 kills for her Ponte Vedra career, with excellent chances of entering quadruple figures this season, she's quick to let everyone know: She's not leading the Sharks alone.

Among her closest friends is Jessica Shattles, also entering her senior year as Ponte Vedra's setter, and the two have forged a solid connection on the court.

"That chemistry and that bond is a big part of Zeta's success," new Ponte Vedra volleyball head coach John Goings said.

The pattern showed up match after match.

Shattles lined up the sets, with the subtle adjustments to keep opponents off balance, and Washington rose again and again to finish with fury.

"Sometimes it seems like she reads my mind," Washington said. "She knows exactly where I'm going to be, how I like my sets and how to set them up. It's pretty amazing."

The two link up for one of Florida's top one-two combinations in the class of 2023 entering the new season.

"It's just amazing," Washington said. "Her skill level has evolved an insane amount, and I've just been growing with her."

Building the skillset

These days, there's even more to Washington's game than the scoring.

"She's always been an offensive weapon," Goings said. "The thing she's been working on now is her jump serve, where she's got a lethal jump serve now, getting these four-point, five-point runs. And in blocking, she is a threat from pin to pin, throwing those blocks down."

The other big part of Washington's improvement is simply staying healthy, after she had missed stretches of her sophomore season because of ankle problems.

It's already showing. In June, she helped her club to third place at the AAU championships in Orlando.

She's ready to take on a leadership role on what will be a much younger Ponte Vedra squad in the fall of 2022, with one more year to capture her third state championship before the next step.

That next step is already in sight: Washington committed last September to play college volleyball at Cincinnati.

"It's exciting, going to play in the Big 12 [which Cincinnati is scheduled to join in 2023], surrounded by incredible coaches," she said. "I've had a chance to meet the team and form bonds with them, so I'm excited to play at the next level."

Zeta Washington, volleyball

Junior, Ponte Vedra

Age: 16

Resume: Led Ponte Vedra to the FHSAA state final for the third consecutive year. ... Recorded 313 kills (.474 hitting percentage) with 61 aces, 60 blocks and 54 digs. ... Two-time FHSAA state champion in 2019 and 2020. ... MaxPreps Underclass All-American. ... Committed to Cincinnati.

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Zeta Washington, Ponte Vedra: 2021 Northeast Florida volleyball player of the year