Jupiter advances to region finals with five-set victory against Fort Pierce Central

JUPITER — The third time wasn’t the charm for Fort Pierce Central volleyball on Saturday.

Five sets left too much time for the Jupiter Warriors to earn their 24th win of 2023 and a spot in the region finals against Osceola. The Cobras fell, 26-24, 15-25, 19-25, 25-22, 9-15, finishing the season 19-10.

Here are three things to know about Jupiter’s speedy swinging gems before they take on a third round of regionals this week.

We meet again …

This fall, only three teams have had the pleasure of taking down a top-ranked Jupiter, the No. 8 team in Florida. Ft. Pierce-Central was one of them, swiping a five-set win in September. Alas, Jupiter’s district championship victory over the Cobras was a good indication of what was to come in region semifinals.

The Warriors, who were on the path to the state playoffs last year, had a reminder of wiping out Ft. Pierce-Central in a quarterfinal sweep, too.

But now, more haunting memories are creeping in for Jupiter players. They are about to be in a position similar to that of the Cobras on Wednesday when Osceola comes for a rematch of last year’s region semifinal that saw the Warriors eliminated after a 15-11 fifth-set loss.

McAmis the difference on defense

A joint-effort meant sealing the win for the offense. But per usual, sophomore libero Macy McAmis was the star of the show for Jupiter’s defense.

Jupiter coach Blane Betz is well-aware of the talent he has with a player like McAmis “running around all over the place.” Her speed and ability to read opposing offenses is nearly unparalleled.

Thirty-one digs against the Cobras was the second-year starter’s best performance since a career-best 38 digs for a 3-2 dub against St. Andrew’s earlier in the month.

“Last year, people kind of had low expectations for us,” McAmis recalled. “I’m excited now because we have six seniors, so we’re just going out and playing every single game, every single point for them.”

Well-balanced win before Osceola

Junior outside hitter Ava Webster led the roster with 12 kills, followed by 10 each for senior middle hitters Sophia Rodriguez and Lexi Figoras. Eight kills for senior Sarah Brodner, a Virginia outside commit, were supported by six kills from freshman Ainslee Aden.

This year’s Kowboys better be ready for one of Jupiter’s finest teams yet. Especially after putting together a true team win to put Ft. Pierce-Central to bed once and for all.

Emilee Smarr is the high school sports reporter for the Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jupiter tops Fort Pierce Central, gets Osceola next in volleyball regionals