High school volleyball roundup: Beachside wins first-round match, sets up Ridgeview clash
The sets. The spikes. Even the "Y-M-C-A" cheers between sets.
Energy. Entering Florida High School Athletic Association playoffs as district champions for the first time, Beachside had plenty of it, and never slowed down.
"I think we had really good energy in the beginning, and it carried us over," senior middle blocker Lainie Stapleton said.
The Barracudas made history in a Wednesday night winner, rolling 25-11, 25-12, 25-16 against visiting Pensacola Washington (12-14) in the Region 1-5A high school volleyball quarterfinal for their first-ever playoff victory.
With Erica Duffy and Mollie VanDeusen constantly swapping as setter and finisher, and Adriana Jeanpierre blasting a team-high 12 kills with venom down the left line, Beachside (22-5) rushed out to a 10-point edge by the midway point of the opening set and never looked back.
Duffy finished with 15 assists and eight kills, while VanDeusen added 13 assists and seven kills as the pair's movement and timing threw Washington off balance. Add in sharp defense, led by 25 digs from freshman libero Isabella Tavares, and Beachside's victory never looked in doubt.
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"We've grown great relationships on the court, and it really shows in how we play," said senior Laney Lipovetsky, who recorded five aces.
The Barracudas advance to an all-Northeast Florida clash on Saturday at Ridgeview (19-7), after the Panthers swept to a 25-10, 25-8, 25-10 victory over Columbia (16-9).
Katie Cole led with 13 kills and Brianna Adams added eight for the Panthers, while sophomore Payton Cannon supplied 17 assists and six aces.
Also moving on was overall No. 1 seed Middleburg, which ran away 25-17, 25-21, 25-21 from Panama City Beach Arnold (14-15). Brooke Forkum whacked 14 kills, followed by Connor Rahn with 13 and Camden Rahn with 11, as the Broncos (23-5) advance to a Saturday match against Tallahassee Lincoln.
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REGION 1-7A
Gateway Conference champion Mandarin came up short in its road trip to Orlando, losing 25-8, 25-10, 25-16 to Timber Creek (20-8). Dionna Mitchell had 11 kills and Valerie Yambao made 18 assists for the hosts. The Mustangs end at 17-7.
Also exiting the postseason was Creekside, which lost 25-13, 25-9, 25-18 at No. 1 seed Winter Park (25-2). The loss ends the Knights' year at 11-13.
REGION 1-6A
Another year, another five-set epic for Ponte Vedra and Tallahassee Leon.
For the second time in three seasons, the Sharks (14-13) went the distance and finished on top against Leon (14-10), winning 25-14, 10-25, 25-18, 20-25, 17-15 in the Shark Tank. Ponte Vedra advances to a Saturday match at No. 1 seed Gulf Breeze.
For Leon, Amelia Haggins recorded 16 kills and 10 digs, and Aditi Mukhirala added 11 kills. Ponte Vedra also topped the Lions in five in the 2021 playoffs.
Kate Stewart scored 16 kills and Lindsay Smith added 12 as Tallahassee Chiles ended the postseason of Fletcher, 25-19, 25-15, 25-17. Natalie Gibson also got 34 assists for the Timberwolves (23-5). Fletcher closes the year at 22-6.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: FHSAA high school volleyball playoffs: Wednesday first-round winners
