Zeta Washington has been named the ITG Next 2022 Northeast Florida Volleyball Player of the Year, presented by Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Baptist Health, and the Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute.
Washington, a junior at Ponte Vedra High School, is quite the athlete. Playing middle blocker, she has been on the varsity Sharks team since she was a freshman. She began playing volleyball nearly nine years ago when the interest came from her friends. Washington grew up around sports being that her father is former professional tennis player Mal Washington. It’s safe to say she was born with athleticism running in her veins.
“In a way I would say there definitely was pressure to have high athletic excellence,” said Washington. “He [Mal Washington] made it to the Olympics during his tennis career, and all of my cousins have played Division 1 college sports, so I guess in my mind there was a bit of pressure but, coming from them, they’ve supported me through the whole thing.”
Washington has accomplished a lot during her three years of being on the Sharks volleyball team. The team alone has been recognized as one of the best volleyball teams in the state of Florida, specifically the Northeast area. The team attends the state championship almost every year, recently winning the 2019 and 2020 state title. This past tournament, the team came in second place.
Not only has Washington accomplished team goals, but she has accolades for herself. MaxPreps recently named Washington a part of the 2021 MaxPreps Underclass All-American Team, the only name to be on the list from Florida.
“At such a young age, I never really thought I would make it this far,” said Washington. “I knew volleyball would definitely be a fun thing to try out, but playing at the collegiate level and committing to Cincinnati wasn’t what I had in mind but I’m here for all of it.”
Washington committed to Cincinnati and made her announcement via Instagram in September last year.
Her caption on Instagram read: “I am so extremely excited to announce that I’m finally fulfilling my lifelong dream and making my verbal commitment to play Division 1 volleyball at the University of Cincinnati! I want to thank my family and friends for being there every step of the way.”
Washington explained that her verbal commitment decision was easy once she visited the campus. She enjoyed meeting the coaching staff and felt right at home. Though she may be a little homesick, she is excited to get out of Florida and go on to play at the collegiate level.
“I looked at a couple other schools but I just didn’t really feel what I felt there,” said Washington.
When asked about her determination and what keeps her motivated, Washington said that she’s had to overcome many adversities. In the past she has had multiple injuries and surgeries which has made her want to keep going.
Rumor has it Washington will continue to excel next year as a senior at Ponte Vedra.
