We’re proud to be a part of an ongoing partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is sponsoring our Player of the Week award. We’ll be releasing a featured vballrecruiter.com Player of the Week, sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on Tuesdays. Below is this week’s Player of the Week: Lydia Chinchar.

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To say our latest Player of the Week burst onto the high school scene this season would be inaccurate. Lydia Chinchar – a 4-star setter/right side from the Class of 2027 – was part of Carrollwood Day’s varsity team last year as an eighth-grader. She had an incredible campaign, leading the squad in kills and blocks. However, the Patriots’ state championship aspirations ended with a regional quarterfinal loss to Tampa Prep.

Chinchar was among a handful of returning players – including her older sister and senior setter Naomi. Combining with a couple of newcomers – including 3-star Purdue commit and junior libero Mattea Casale – Carrollwood Day was on a mission in 2023.

“I remember the first day of practice and we said our goal was to win state and nothing else,” Chinchar said. “We set our minds to that and we just kept going to the very end. In practice, we worked so hard each and every day and we did a really good job of that.”

Chinchar once again led the charge. The freshman right side powered the offense with 573 kills – averaging 6.3 per set and hitting .428 – as the Patriots captured the program’s second-ever state championship after defeating Westminster Christian in the Florida 3A final. Adding a punctuation mark to her fabulous season, Chinchar sent down a season-high 37 kills (9.3 per set) and hit .301 in the four-set victory over the Warriors that helped Carrollwood Day finish the fall 31-2 overall.

“Our mindset was to walk in confidently and just play our game and not worry about anyone else’s game,” Chinchar said. “That was the most important thing. We never had a doubt in our mind that we were going to lose. We always knew we had each other and that was the best part of it.

“The emotions were everywhere on the last point when the ball hit the ground. There was so much excitement and a weight off our shoulders. Finally, all that hard work paid off. Everything we all put it, winning it with your best friends is a pretty awesome feeling.”

Carrollwood Day emerged as the team to beat in Florida this fall after its run to the finals of the Nike TOC Southeast tournament in early September. The Patriots suffered their first setback in a sweep against Cornerstone Christian of Texas in the championship match. Along the way Carrollwood Day downed eventual Nebraska Class B state champion Skutt Catholic and eventual Florida 6A runner up Viera. Later in the season, Carrollwood Day notched a victory over eventual 7A state champ Plant.

“After the Nike tournament, it was pretty early in the season and we made it to the final and I just remember people saying ‘Oh my goodness, who is this CDS team,’” Chinchar said. “We knew teams were targeting us and coming for us after that.”

Chinchar grew up immersed in volleyball. Her parents – Douglas and Sarah – both played. Chinchar’s father is her coach at Carrollwood Day and both parents are directors of No Name Volleyball, where Chinchar will suit up as part of the top 17s team this coming club season. For Chinchar, volleyball was the only sport she ever wanted to play.

“I started really young,” she said. “I was six and playing on a 12-and-under team. My parents got me into volleyball and I didn’t really want to do anything else. They were pushing me to try something else but I just wanted to pursue volleyball. I was around it every day. My sister Naomi was in love with volleyball so we decided to do it together.”

With both her parents being setters, Chinchar naturally developed at that position as well as hitting. She did both this past club season for No Name 16 but she’s been purely a hitter in high school.

“I would say I enjoy hitting more than setting,” Chinchar said. “It is quite the job to run the court and I really appreciate all my setters throughout the years.”

It’s not surprising that volleyball takes up much of Chinchar’s time, but she does like to scuba dive and sew sometimes when her schedule allows for it.

“My sister and I do scuba diving together,” she said. “It’s always fun to go and we love being able to do it together.”

As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Chinchar about volleyball and more.

Who is a role model or someone you look up to?

Chinchar: A role model I look up to is my sister, Naomi. I’m with her every day and she’s always been front and center for me. We do everything together on and off the court. She’s a great role model. She’s going to West Point, so there is no better role model than that.

If you could choose to be or do anything for a day, what would you be or do and why?

Chinchar: If I had the chance to do anything for a day I would probably drive to Disney World. It’s right here in Florida. I love all the Disney characters. Since I was a little girl it was always a place to go to. It makes me feel like a kid again with all the rides and all the characters there.

Other than volleyball, what skill would you most like to learn and why?

Chinchar: I would like to learn to sing. I have always tried to sing and it never works out for me. It would be fun to be up on a stage performing and singing. But, really I wouldn’t try to do anything else but volleyball.

Do you have any volleyball superstitions and if so what?

Chinchar: I do. Before each game I have to do one tuck jump. That’s my switch. I don’t know why but that means I’m ready to go. Whenever I do my tuck jump I’m ready to go when I hit the court.

Aside from basic necessities, what is one thing you could not go a day without?

Chinchar: I would probably say my friends and family. They support me in everything I do each day no matter what I do. Whether it’s volleyball or an outside hobby they always have my back.

What is one thing that instantly makes your day better or makes you smile?

Chinchar: It’s someone asking a question like ‘How are you doing’ or someone saying ‘Good morning’ or ‘Good afternoon.’ I love people asking about my day. I love talking to people.

What’s one of your favorite ways to have fun?

Chinchar: One of my favorite ways to have fun outside of volleyball is I love to play Just Dance on Wii. I have a Wii at home. When I’m not doing homework or playing volleyball, I’m playing the Wii.

Outside of volleyball what are you most passionate about and why?

Chinchar: I’m very passionate about spreading God’s word and being helpful to others. I like making other people’s day. It’s what I like to do best. It puts a smile on my face when I see someone being successful in what they are doing.

What is one thing that may surprise people about you?

Chinchar: Surprisingly, I’m pretty good at tennis just because my family and I would play during Covid each day. We would play as our daily activity and we became good at it. I’m a decent tennis player. We still go out once in a while because we miss it after doing it every day.

If you could live anywhere you wanted, where would it be and why?

Chinchar: If I could live anywhere it would probably be the Florida Keys. It’s close to home but we go there almost every year since I was little. I love the beach and I love scuba diving. I’m certified. Also, getting a tan is very important to me.

If you could have any super power what would it be and why?

Chinchar: If I could have a super power it would be to be invisible so I could sneak around and see what’s going on in other people’s conversations.

What’s your favorite number and why?

Chinchar: My favorite number is 10. That’s the number I wear for club. It was my mom’s number that she wore all through her years playing. Also, another reason I wear it is because the greatest soccer player out there wears it, so why not?