Despite several stars graduating from the 2021 championship team, second-year coach Tommy Sustala quickly guided a youthful team back into the status of being title-contenders.
“Coming in last year, with pretty high expectations in the program, and losing several key players of their championship team was a daunting task,” he said. “But, we just kept building from there, and before you knew it, we hadn’t lost a district match and advanced to the State Finals.”
“This year, we’ve gained several key pieces. We’re better than we were last year, and we’re already halfway through district with several players to depend on, and the team is looking to keep that rolling.”
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
As Sustala acknowledged, FBCA hasn’t lost to a district opponent since their 2020-21 season. That streak was extended when they faced off against a highly-ranked adversary in the Lutheran South Pioneers, in which the Eagles trounced LSA (3-0) in their first matchup of the season.
“Our kids have taken it personally that they’ve been a little overlooked in the private school competition,” said Sustala. “I love it, as a coach. We’re not going to necessarily catch people by surprise, but kind of flying under the radar works to our advantage.”
“The road through the district and the state tournament runs through our school, so when they see another school like LSA getting deserved recognition, it gets them fired up. I love it, as a coach, because it motivates them with the important matches that stand before us.”
Rest assured, Fort Bend Christian (now 23-3) deservedly sits at the top of our current private school rankings.
But one stands to wonder, what has coach Sustala added to the program after the departure of
“I’ve had the great opportunity to coach some really high-level club volleyball,” he said. “With the training I’ve gained from Houston Juniors and Houston Skyline for five years each, I feel that I bring a very technical approach to the game, especially with the statistics side of things.”
“I believe that having those high-pressure matches in the world of club ball gets you well prepared as a coach, as well as for the players. That experience is invaluable when you have the depth that we do at Fort Bend Christian, and the competition we face, year after year, has really allowed us to thrive.”
Throughout this Fall, Sustala has had the luxury of working with game-changers such as Bayleigh Minor (Jr. MB), Cambry Gerardi (Sr. OH), Layne Bulow (Jr. OH), Ruth Ochelli (Jr. RS), Daniela Ramirez (So. L), and Lauren LeRoux (Jr. S).
With their current trajectory, another TAPPS state title could be within the grasp of FBCA.
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
