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When the Tarpons were warming up, the Venice players stood close to the court on their side of the floor to observe.  About 15 seconds before the Indians took the court, they began clapping and yelling.

“If the girls are paying attention to the other team, that would intimidate some players,” said Dill, who noticed it watching the Indians in pre-match warm-ups Saturday against Clearwater in the regional final.

“He always finds a way to intimidate teams.”

He is Venice coach Brian Wheatley.

And standing on the side of the court while the opposition is warming up is not the Indians’ only intimidating action.

Wheatley has an explanation:

On standing on the side of the court while the other team is warming up: “We are just observing what they are doing. We want to get a good view.”

On running to the other side of the court to shake the hands of the opponents when introduced during pre-game warm-ups: “We’re just happy they are here. We want to extend our gratitude.”

On yelling after every point they score: “We’ve always done that. We preach a lot about being an aggressive team. You can measure a team’s intensity by how much they talk.”

On warming up aggressively: “You can only control two things: effort and attitude. Getting mentally and physically ready to play. If they are intimidated, they’re intimidated. There is nothing we can do about that.”

The Venice players have worked long and hard at it.

“We have pretty big muscles, so I think we are intimidating,” Venice senior middle hitter Jillian Allen said. “Coach Wheatley calls it mental warfare.”

Wheatley played with the minds of his own players before working on the opposition.

He had the girls in the weight room with fitness and training guru and assistant coach Vern Gambetta in January.

He scheduled 6:30 a.m. practices — during the summer.

He practiced twice a day before school began.

His sessions usually last more than three hours, but have tapered off to two-plus lately.

“I do my very best to get out of here after two hours, but I struggle with it, because I feel like there are so many things we need to cover,” Wheatley said prior to Monday’s after-school session.

The players already were in school, so walking across the campus was not a big deal.

But setting the alarm clock mornings during non-school months takes effort and a commitment.

“It is very hard to get up at 6 o’clock in the morning, but it is well worth it,” Allen said.

The Indians are seeing the fruits of their labor, as they are headed to the Class 5A State Final Four.

In the FHSAA State semifinals at 6 p.m. Wednesday at The Lakeland Center, the Indians will take on Tallahassee Leon for the right to play in the 7 p.m. State Final on Thursday against the winner of the Lithia Newsome-Stuart Martin County match.

Venice did not qualify solely based on its victories over Tampa Sickles, Naples Gulf Coast and Clearwater in the regionals.

The Indians advanced with their work during the off-season.

“Each day we come in here blood, sweat and tears,” Allen said. “We practice very hard.”

“It’s a big commitment,” Wheatley said.

A commitment his players, all of whom returned from last season, made.

“It’s not necessarily hard, if you find a group of girls like that who want to play for you,” Dill said. “He found the right group of girls. They want to play for him. They want to work hard for him. That’s what makes him a good coach. He gets them motivated and has them eating out his hands. He says to do it and they do it.”

It is not always easy.

There have been times when the players have questioned the length and intensity of the practices — internally, of course.

“That thought has come into all of our minds,” Allen said. “Coach Wheatley knows what he’s doing. If we want to get to where we want to be that we have to have those long and hard practices.”

“Our coaching staff demands perfection,” Wheatley said. “You don’t have to be the best volleyball player in the state to work the hardest. You don’t have to be a good volleyball player to work the hardest.

“Anyone can be the hardest working team in the state. Does that mean we are going to win? No. But the foundation is set.”

There are times, too, Wheatley and assistant Jay Lanham have to be reminded — by his female assistant coaches Stefanie Peters and Lori Sandburg — that they are dealing with females.

“I’m working with athletes,” Wheatley said. “And they wanted to be treated like athletes. Every once in a while I show my sensitive side. I’ve got a sensitive side, you know.

“But if I had a guys’ team, nothing would change.”

That is OK with the girls.

“All of us have a little boyish in them, just because boys are so rough and go out and get it done,” Allen said. “That’s the way we are: We just want to go out and get it done.”