MB/OH Erika Spankus, Jr., Tarpon Springs

Erika Spankus’ athletic focus turned to volleyball when she was 10 years old. Years of playing the sport paid off when she came to Tarpon Springs two years ago. 

Inserted into the lineup early, Spankus had a primary role on varsity. She put up solid numbers on varsity as a sophomore last season, recording more than 170 kills and 80 digs. 

This season, Spankus became more of an offensive force. The proof is in the stats. She already has surpassed her totals from last season with 198 kills and 124 digs. 

As a result, the Spongers kept winning. And winning. 

The streak lasted 15 matches before ending in five sets with a loss to Osceola on Tuesday.

During that run last week, Spankus played a pivotal role with 10 kills and seven digs to beat Northeast. 

She excels just as much in the classroom. Spankus has an unweighted 4.0 GPA in the Cambridge program at Tarpon Springs and ranks third in her class. 

Fans were impressed. Spankus received 35 percent of the votes (916) in the volleyball player of the week poll to beat out Wharton’s Bella Bonatakis, who had 30 percent (796 votes).