Moments before the volleyball team’s Monday night showdown against Bernie, Cape Central first-year head coach Sommer McCauley-Perdue’s message to her players was simple: lock in.

“I have to tell them it’s always tunnel vision and focus,” Perdue said. “We have to play the game preparing for the next, so sometimes we're getting too hyped and getting off of what we're trying to do today.”

Judging by the Lady Tigers' performance in the 3-0 shutout victory, it sure seems like they understand what Perdue wants. The commanding home win pushes Cape Central to 9-3-1 on the season — its best start since 2019 (13-3) — and gives the program a label that has not been attached to their name in recent times: “contender.”

Prior to this season, Cape Central volleyball faced a three-year stretch of mediocrity and minimal relevance, winning just 48 percent of their games and only posting one winning season since 2021.

So far this year, it appears that times have changed.

“What we’re trying to build is a winning culture,” Perdue said. “Getting hungry and wanting to improve. So, every game is going to be progressions. Doing different things and trying different things only make us better because you're not just looking for the now, you’re looking for the postseason.”

Monday’s win over the Lady Mules, which came two days after Cape Central's impressive second-place showing at the Dig For Life tournament, was one of revenge and new heights. The Lady Tigers fell to Bernie 3-1 last season, but seem to have turned the corner on all fronts.

Cape Central was lights out in each set, winning 25-13, 25-15, and 25-14. It was a complete team effort by the Lady Tigers, as six players dished out multiple kills. Seniors Ella Hukel and Piper Underwood had strong outings at the service line, while standout junior Sydney Miller continued to dominate at the net, as evidenced by six kills in a monstrous second set.

“She's unstoppable when she's on,” Perdue said. “Since moving her from the middle position to the outside, she asked for a chance and I gave it to her. Usually her travel teams and teams in previous years never utilized her height in different areas. I saw a need that if we pushed her out, she could succeed even more.”

Miller's emergence, as well as the entire Lady Tigers roster, is not the only big reason why Perdue's team is clicking at the right time. All teams have different chemistry and respond to different things. What Perdue and fans alike are starting to see with this Cape Central bunch is different from previous groups.

“They're connected,” Perdue said. “I focus on us being together in team building because it also builds the chemistry on the court. A lot of them are friends and I make sure we include everybody, even down to our youngest player that plays.”

The Tigers’ next test marks arguably their toughest match of the 2024 campaign thus far, as they welcome rival Jackson to their home court tomorrow, Sept. 17 for a 6:30 p.m. match.

Perdue says that in order to unlock that “tunnel vision" and come out on top, it ultimately comes down to reaching their new standard.

“I repeat myself over and over and over again to get them focused,” Perdue said. “I do it on purpose to get on their nerves because it reminds them like, ‘oh, I have to do this stuff,’ or, ‘I will do this’ to just make sure that they know that there are levels to this. So, each time we have to be getting better and we have to work and not settle for less.”