By Kyle Coppola
Lake Minneola High’s Bailey O’Dell is Student Athlete of the Week
Lake Minneola High School senior Bailey O'Dell has quickly set the tone for the Hawks' volleyball season, earning recognition as Student-Athlete of the Week.
Bailey, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter, has tallied 42 kill shots to open the year setting the tone for the 2025 season. Building on a strong junior campaign in which she recorded 123 kills. Coaches and teammates describe her as a player who leads not only with her athletic ability, but with her heart.
(Bailey has been very impressive during club season and has started her senior season on a positive note with Lake Minneola High.)
Bailey is one of those athletes you can count on in the big moments. She works hard, sets a great example, and raises the level of everyone around her.
A well-rounded student, Bailey carries a 4.7 weighted GPA and has consistently earned spots on the A-Honor Roll and AB-Honor Roll. She is determined to continue her academic and athletic career at the collegiate level, a goal strengthened by her standout performances during the club season with her travel squad, Game Point Volleyball's 18 National team.
(Not only is Bailey a great athlete but a smart student with a 4.7 GPA.)
"I have always been an A-Honor Roll and AB-Honor Roll student, and when it comes to school I am very involved and focused," Bailey says.
Off the court, Bailey has also built a name for herself in photography. She runs her own freelance business, Bailey's Lenses, which you can follow on instagram.
Lake Minneola is ranked as the #76 team in all of Florida and is off to a 4-3 start. Keep a close eye on her as the season continues. She will be a big reason for the Hawks success.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
