SWFL Volleyball: Barron Collier, Seacrest Country Day heading back to state semifinals
A roundup of Southwest Florida regional tournament games played on Tuesday, Oct. 24, Wednesday, Oct. 25, Friday, Oct. 27, Saturday, Oct. 28, Tuesday, Oct. 31, and Wednesday, Nov. 1
Who's gonna win?: Our picks for volleyball regional champions across Southwest Florida
WEDNESDAY
Class 5A-Region 3
Barron Collier 3, Gulf Coast 1
Talking about expectations is one thing. Meeting them is another.
For the Barron Collier volleyball team that came into this season as the area’s preseason No. 1 team, the pressure to meet the expectation of making it back to a Final Four sometimes was turbulent, but the team willed its way back under head coach Yamil Del Valle.
The Cougars (25-6) punched their ticket to their seventh Final Four in eight years, winning 27-25, 25-15, 21-25, 25-19 over the Sharks (20-9) for the fourth time this season.
After trailing 5-0 early in the first set, Gulf Coast put the pressure on the Cougars, going on a 7-0 run the other way to take the lead. The Sharks would go up 19-13, but were unable to seal the deal. Barron managed to claw its way back into the game with strong defense on the block, headlined by Sofia Locadia, Mia Weintraub, and Aisha Keric up front.
Weintraub and Locadia had eight kills apiece, and combined for 11 blocks with Weintraub finishing with six and Locadia with five. Keric added a game-high 19 kills, 7 assists, and 5 blocks. Charlotte Mongin would add 12 kills.
“I gotta be honest, I’m a little disappointed in the way we played,” Del Valle said. “It’s part of the overconfidence. Playing them for a fourth time and just getting in their heads the way they were getting; it was a tough situation. I’m glad the girls figured it out. I’m glad they came back in that first set the way they did. I’m glad they opened their eyes. At this time of the season, everyone wants the same thing.
“Just because we’ve been in this scenario before, it means nothing. The minute they decide to not play, the season is over. We’re lucky enough to switch lineups, to move people left and right because we have the people for it. At the end of the day, we want them to do their best. That’s what we’ve been pushing all season.”
Gulf Coast had two chances to go up 1-0 in the match, leading 24-23 and 25-24, but the Cougars hung tough and came away with an opening set victory of 27-25. That stung for John Alvarez and company, who saw star hitter Kate Drasba go down with an ankle injury in the second set. Gulf Coast struggled and lost 25-15 in the second with Drasba off the floor for a majority of the set. Drasba would return to the game, finishing with 10 kills, eight digs, and an ace.
Despite the loss, Alvarez got the most out of his group, as this year’s senior class comprised of Drasba, Casey Williams, Marina Rau, Brooke Pierce, Ashlyn Callan, and Kiley Stone played beyond expectations in their respective roles and notched their first 20-win season over their four years with the program.
“It was so good,” Alvarez said of his first season with the program. “They did amazing. I’ll say it, and I’ve said it from the beginning, and I’ve told them: we got dealt a shitty hand from the beginning. Everyone kind of wrote us off, nobody really cared. Even you guys, you guys never ranked us above sixth. Here we are, we competed, we put them against the ropes. We got punched in the face when Kate Drasba went down in the second set.
“We competed and fought. These kids played phenomenal volleyball. They played with grit, they played with heart, and they played as a team. It wasn’t any one person that got us this point. It wasn’t any one person that put us in this position where we had Barron. As a team, they competed. I’m beyond grateful they trusted me to work with them and bought into the process.”
Gulf Coast rode momentum in the third set, jumping out to leads of 3-1 and 13-10, before building a 16-10 lead that forced Barron Collier to burn its first timeout. Williams played an instrumental part later in the set at the service line, helping orchestrate a 6-1 Gulf Coast run to give the Sharks a 22-16 lead.
“Casey Williams is an absolute stud,” Alvarez said. “That kid is good. If there’s anyone who I’d compare her to, everyone in this area knows (ex-FGCU libero) Dana Axner. The kid is there, she creates second opportunities for us. These seniors, their leadership was amazing.”
Williams finished with 18 digs and an ace. Rau added 26 assists, five kills, and four aces, while freshman Juliette Van Wagner added 9 kills, six digs, and a pair of aces for the Sharks.
“If there’s anything I can say that upsets me about these seniors, it’s that they’ve set such a high bar for the future athletes at Gulf Coast,” Alvarez said. “It’s going to be hard to compete and reach that same bar that these seniors have left behind. It’s not the outcome we wanted, but they competed and fought the entire time.”
Late in that third set and for much of the fourth, the Cougars switched things up. Keric shifted to setter while Ava Zehnder moved to outside hitter. Normally it’s Zehnder setting to Keric, but Del Valle knew he needed to throw another look at Gulf Coast to try and close things out in the fourth set. Zehnder finished with 41 assists and four kills.
“We needed to find reactions from them,” Del Valle said. “At the end of the day, we’ve been using Ava Zehnder as a hitter, to put another offensive player in the net. She can also run the game 5-1. It’s to release a little bit from her, and use her in other aspects in the net, and sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t work. That’s the important part of us making adjustments and switching. The girls know what we’re doing.”
The move worked, as Zehnder was finding open spots on the floor. In the end though, it was Zehnder back at her normal setting spot, setting to Keric to send Barron to another Final Four.
With the win, Barron Collier will take on Jensen Beach in Winter Haven in a rematch of last year’s state championship game in 5A. The Cougars came up just short over the summer in a camp contest against the Falcons, losing 28-26, and also lost 25-17, 25-15, 25-22 in the title game a year ago.
“It’s really cool to get there,” Keric said. “But I feel like this year, everybody wants it so much you can’t take moments for granted. This is the time in the season where you have to be playing your best volleyball. We can’t take this for granted. We’ve got to work really hard (over the next couple of days).”
— Alex Martin
Class 6A-Region 3
Bloomingdale 3, Fort Myers 0
The visiting Green Wave’s playoff ride ended one step shy of the Final Four, as Alexia Goderich’s six aces and a slew of unforced errors lifted the Bulls to the Class 6A-Region 3 championship Wednesday night.
It was a final befitting such a wide open regional tournament: Top-seeded Charlotte lost its first match and Fort Myers (21-9) was one of only two No. 5 seeds in any bracket – regardless of class – to win twice.
“It’s a bummer, but I know we all tried hard,” said junior outside hitter Ashley Tenkley (12 kills, five digs). “I definitely think we could’ve won. … Too many errors and we had them at the wrong moments.”
The score was tied 29 times, including 14 in the opening set. A pair of kills by Madison Sofarelli pulled Bloomingdale (19-6) even at 22- and 23-all, and Goderich’s finish down the left side made it 24-23. Tenkley’s smash from the back line got Fort Myers back to 24-all, but junior Elaina Fischer’s block gave the Bulls the first of the two points they needed.
“We were just so close, we were hoping to go to states,” said senior Jessica McKee. “Everyone was. But this was probably one of the best teams we’ve played, and it was really hard to keep going every single point.”
Bloomingdale, 20th in the FHSAA’s Class 6A power rankings (Fort Myers was 33rd), will face No. 1 Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas in next Wednesday’s semifinals at Polk State College in Winter Haven. No. 3 Viera plays No. 4 Tallahassee Chiles in the other semi.
“I feel like we made errors in crucial moments of the match,” said Fort Myers coach Shannon Stockman-Puder. “We had leads in all three sets and then let them get a run against us.
“But I’m proud of our team. We did a lot of unexpected things this season and we made it really far. I’m very proud of how hard they work and their heart for the sport.”
Fort Myers used a 7-1 run to grab a 14-10 lead in the opening set, and led 6-2 and 5-1 early in the next two. Junior Gabby Dwyer (six kills, three blocks, two aces) put away a free ball and blocked Fischer to make it 6-2 in the second, but Goderich and Camila DeJesus each smacked back-to-back aces to give Bloomingdale the lead for good at 11-8.
There were 10 more ties in the third set, the last at 17-all. Sofarelli’s kill gave the Bulls the lead and Gianna Matthews came up with a big block against Tenkley to make it 20-17. An ace down the line by libero Ella Izett pushed it to 22-18.
Erin McDowell finished with 22 assists and nine digs, while Brianna Gutierrez added 11 digs and Amber Engelhart had four kills and eight digs. The Green Wave will return five of its nine players, including Tenkley – one of only two players in the 6A or 7A quarterfinals who led her team in both kills (319) and digs (268).
“We definitely have youth on our side,” Stockman-Puder said. “I think this was a great experience for them, something they can hold in their memories now and work for.”
Added Tenkley: “I think we’ll go places.”
— Donnie Wilkie
TUESDAY
Class 2A-Region 3
Seacrest Country Day 3, Keswick Christian 0
The Seacrest Country Day School volleyball continued to flatten its opponents Tuesday night, and now that steamroller is headed for the state semifinals.
The Stingrays maintained their streak without losing a set Tuesday, registering a 25-12, 25-9, 25-11 victory over Keswick Christian in the Region 2A-3 title game, opening the door to the state’s Final Four next week.
The Stingrays have not lost a set since Oct. 14 against Boca Raton.
Seacrest will look to down Maitland Orangewood Christian in the state semifinals on Monday, with the winner set to face either Boca Raton Christian or Oak Hall on Tuesday in Winter Haven.
“Our girls were fantastic tonight, it was a total team effort,” said Seacrest coach Jeff Motluck. “They played well together. We came in ready, and they did everything the coaches asked of them.”
The Crusaders, who had won 12 of their last 13 and 25 of their last 27 were never really in it, except for 1-1 knots at the beginning of the first two sets.
“We really came together as a team,” said outside hitter Brooke Spurgeon. “All the hard work we put in in practice showed tonight. There wasn’t one thing that was dominant. The serve receiving was on, the setting was amazing, and the blocking was great. Everything we’d worked on came together.”
Milena Lopez had 43 assists for Seacrest. Samantha Soderlund had a .600 hitting percentage. Alexa Haley had 22 digs.
“We all want the same thing, to win and to work hard,” said middle blocker Bali Coles. “The chemistry is probably the reason we won. There’s no drama on or off the court with us, and everyone plays a key role on this team. It seems like every position does their job really well.”
Setting up their great front-line play early, the Stingrays got off to a 6-1 lead in the first set. With Klaudia Beach and Soderlund slamming the ball to the opponent’s side of the floor more often than not, Seacrest established control and built on its lead.
Ella Storie’s serves cut it down to 7-5. One of Keswick’s keys to keeping it close was Carihana Jantomaso's digs near the back line.
But then Seacrest built its lead back up to 13-7 after winning three lengthy volleys after tips from Adriana Garcia. And then the Stingrays coasted from there.
In set No. 2, Seacrest’s sets and spikes continued to bother the Knights.
The Stingrays started the game with a 9-2 spurt and the lead only got bigger from there.
— Tom Corwin
Class 4A-Region 3
Holy Names 3, Estero 0
Estero's season ended at the hands of the Jaguars for the second straight year, as Holy Names won 25-5, 25-17, 25-17 to advance to their fifth straight Final Four.
Sophie Perkins finished with 13 kills for the Wildcats, while Ashlynn Ban added seven kills. Sofia King dished out 20 assists in the loss.
— Staff Reports
SATURDAY
Class 6A-Region 3
Fort Myers 3, Riverdale 0
Saturday evening in the Wave Cave saw one team jump out to early leads and never look back.
Displaying dominance on the service line from start to finish, Fort Myers ended Riverdale’s Cinderella run, winning 25-22, 25-18, 25-11. With the win, the Greenies are set to advance to the regional finals against either Bloomingdale or Sunlake next Wednesday.
“I’m so proud of them,” Fort Myers coach Shannon Puder said. “We’ve started to peak at the right time in our season. They’ve grown so much as individuals and as players and as a team throughout the season. We’ve had some hard lessons to learn in big moments of our season. They’ve just taken that and really put it into the heart and soul of the game.”
Early on, Ella Chevalier was able to exploit Riverdale’s serve receive, just the start of what was a coordinated effort, according to Puder. The third-year coach knew where to serve in every situation, forcing Riverdale’s hand.
Fort Myers nearly gave Riverdale (17-11) momentum on the road in the first set, up 21-13 before the Raiders rattled off seven straight points to get within one at 21-20. Fort Myers got a big point from Jessica McKee to go up 23-20 before Ashlee Tenkley finished things off.
“We came out, we knew what we were going to do,” Puder said. “We had a solid gameplan. They executed it. I’m super proud of them.”
It was a wrong place, wrong time type of game for Jessica Beall and the Raiders, who were at a high as a team following last Wednesday’s four-set win over No. 1 seed Charlotte.
Riverdale struggled to settle in, and Olivia Znotens, the statewide kills leader, was unable to get hot. Most of her double digit kills came on back row attacks, although Fort Myers got the Raiders out of system on many occasions. Riverdale had just one lead the entire game at 2-1 in the third set over the Green Wave.
“The trajectory of a team is to go up, and that’s what we did,” Beall said of her team’s performance this year. From the beginning to the end of the season, just improving every week. We made a really tough schedule for these girls to put them in these types of positions and situations. Wednesday night, everything went our way. Tonight, nothing went our way.”
After Tenkley’s kill to seal the first set, the junior wasn’t finished. Her 11th kill of the game punched the Greenies’ ticket to the regional championship. Fort Myers has posted its most wins, fewest losses, and gone the furthest in Puder’s third year leading the program after coaching legend Stephanie Martin stepped away from coaching following the 2020 season.
“We feel amazing,” Tenkley said. “This was a big game, making it to the final eight. We came in strong, played our hearts out. We wanted it more.”
Brianna Gutierrez led the Greenies with 11 digs, while Amber Englehart had 10. Erin McDowell finished off with 15 assists, with Addi Sprecher adding seven. Gabby Dwyer had seven kills and seven aces.
— Alex Martin
Class 5A-Region 3
Barron Collier 3, St. Petersburg 0
The Barron Collier volleyball team used its usual front-line play and serving to inch even closer to a berth in the state finals Saturday night.
The Cougars easily defeated visiting St. Petersburg in a three-set triumph in the Class 5A-Region 3 semifinals, giving Barron a spot in the region title game.
The Cougars overcame an early Green Devils lead in the first set but won the final without a problem. Barron has now won 17 straight sets and 13 of their last 15 games.
“We started a little slow, to be honest. I think we are a little tired,” said Barron Collier coach Yamil Del Valle. “And I think they (St. Petersburg) recognized that. So they put some pressure on us. But we always try to be consistent and serve aggressively and be right up at the net.“
The Cougars (24-6) remained undefeated at home (12-0) for the campaign. Barron Collier will now play Gulf Coast in the regional finals Wednesday night with a spot in the state’s final four in Winter Haven on the line.
“We came down here wanting to win. We knew we’d have to battle,” St. Pete coach Joseph Abad said. “Barron Collier served really well. Aisha Keric and Sofia Locadia are just great hitters. They led their front row. They were very hard to stop in the front row.”
Asserting its offense early, the Green Devils got off to a 4-1 lead. After winning several brutal volleys near the net, the Cougars rallied back to go ahead 10-7.
The lead would go back and forth after that. With Aisha Keric serving four straight points and things knotted at 19-19, Barron took a 23-19 lead. Two minutes later, the Cougars closed it out
“I liked our energy in the first,” Del Valle said. “We brought energy and communication that I have pushed them to keep going. And it showed in the score. The energy is everything with us. The minute we stop, and we don’t believe in ourselves, we get shut down.”
In the second set, it was close for a while but then the Cougars’ great front-line play took over. With plenty of aggressive kills from the likes of Keric and Charlotte Mongin, Barron Collier won it easily.
“We came out aggressive in the second,” Del Valle said. “We kept our lineup the same, but we switched a few things around on our offense that worked well.”
— Tom Corwin
Gulf Coast 3, Braden River 2
BRADENTON - A volleyball team perhaps can survive with a lack of focus and effort in the fifth match of the season and emerge victorious.
It’s a totally different story when it’s the regional semifinals, as Braden River learned once again.
The Pirates, the No. 2 seed, lost the first two sets to visiting Gulf Coast, the No. 3 seed. Braden River battled back to win games three and four, but in the deciding fifth set, it was the Sharks jumping out to an early lead and earning a spot in the Class 5A-Region 3 final.
Gulf Coast had not advanced to a regional final in six years, but did so Saturday night with a 3-2 win over the Pirates, 25-23, 25-17, 20-25, 21-25, 15-8. Gulf Coast now will take on top seed Barron Collier on Wednesday at 7 p.m. for the opportunity to advance to the state’s Final Four.
For Braden River, it was its third-straight loss in the regional semis. This one, however, may sting a bit longer. The Pirate players, said head coach Matthew McElhiney, simply didn’t come ready to play.
“Our players just didn’t bring their level of focus and energy and effort on the court,” he said. “That team wasn’t anything overpowering. They played very consistently the whole time. Our go-to players, in my opinion, didn’t bring the level that we needed tonight.”
Braden River fell behind early in the first set before rallying to tie it at 21-all. But the Sharks got a point on a Pirate double hit, an issue for much of the night. The visitors then closed it out on a kill by Brooke Pierce, an ace by Gina Goldblatt, and a set-winning kill by Sophia Shultz.
In the second set, Braden River drew even with Gulf Coast at 11 before the Sharks five consecutive points. The Pirates got as close as three the rest of the way, but a block at the net by Pierce earned Gulf Coast the victory and a 2-0 lead.
It was more of us just not doing our jobs and being disciplined,” McElhiney said. “We didn’t bring a lot of energy we should have brought. It didn’t seem like they had the desire in the first two games.”
But in the third and fourth sets, energy was provided by junior setter Rilyn Stiegler. The Pirates won the third game after being down early, and in the fourth, all tied at 19-all, Ericka Freeman had a key kill and a tip at the net.
McElhiney was asked if his players might have felt pressure. “They’ve been here three times,” he said. “Nothing new. Three times in a row, you got to be able to figure that pressure out. That’s part of sports.”
In the tie-breaking fifth set, Braden River was tied early, but Gulf Coast got some critical points from Pierce and Juliette Van Wagner. The Sharks took an 11-5 lead and never looked back.
“I think we served extremely well,” said Gulf Coast head coach John Alvarez. “We kept (Braden River) out of system. They got some phenomenal hitters. We knew we had to serve aggressively. Everybody did their job. We definitely had moments where we struggled, but we knew what was waiting for us. This win means top eight in the state and on to the regional finals. It’s not the first time these kids have been pushed up against the wall. These kids just keep competing.”
For Gulf Coast, Pierce had 17 kills, Van Wagner added 13, and Sophia Schultz added 12. For Braden River, Brynna Sands had five kills, 21 digs, and 16 assists. Ryan Hinkle had 16 kills and 29 assists.
— Doug Fernandes
FRIDAY
Class 4A-Region 3
Estero 3, Lemon Bay 0
The Wildcats booked their ticket to the 4A regional final after downing Lemon Bay in straight sets, 26-16, 25-9, 25-21. Sophie Perkins led the charge, tallying a career-best 17 kills along with five aces.
“Sophie went crazy with the kills tonight,” Estero head coach John Ban.“ She had her best match I’ve ever seen her play in the last four years.”
Gia Rosencrans added 11 kills and three blocks, while Sofia King dished out 38 assists.
“Sophie had a consistent match throughout, and some of the other girls took a little bit longer to get going,” Ban said. “But by the third set, we had our well-balanced offense going. Defensively, we’ve played better before, there were a lot of balls we probably could have dug, but all-in-all we played good.”
The Wildcats have plenty of wind in their sails headed into their regional championship matchup with Academy of Holy Names.
Estero, who have now won 21 sets in a row through their last seven contests, have had their sights set on a regional final since the beginning of the year and are ready to take a big swing on Halloween.
“Trick or treat Holy Names,” Ban said. “We’re coming for you.”
— Staff Reports
Class 2A-Region 3
Seacrest 3, SFCA 0
A complete team effort pushed the Stingrays past the King’s in straight sets and onto the 2A regional final, 25-13, 25-9, 25-13.
“It’d be difficult to isolate one facet of our team’s game this evening,” said head coach Jeff Motluck. “I was just texting them and reiterating how proud I was of them tonight. They came in just locked in, focused, and they executed and started doing all the little things we talked about. And they’re starting to see the benefits of doing it the way we work on, and I’m just beyond proud of them tonight.”
Bali Coles led the Stingrays with nine kills while tacking on two aces. Samantha Soderlund led the defensive effort with 11 digs, while Alexa Haley and Brooke Spurgeon added nine digs each.
“The driving force is the fact that they want to win another state championship, and tonight they looked like that was in the forefront of their mind,” Motluck said. “And it was going to take a very good effort across the net to stop SFCA.”
Robbie Warden finished with 16 digs for SFCA, while Bianka Noah tallied six total blocks in the loss.
Seacrest, which has tied the school record for wins in a season (26), turn to a regional title bout with Keswick Christian. Motluck says his Stingrays are firing on all cylinders heading into the matchup.
“I’m excited for that match and excited for the opportunity to return to the state tournament should we advance,” he said. “But I feel really, really confident that the girls are going to give it a great effort on Tuesday.”
— Staff Reports
Keswick Christian 3, Marco Island 0
The Manta Rays season came to an end after being swept by Crusaders, 25-10, 25-18, 25-16.
“I think we chose probably the wrong game to play the worst that we’ve played all year,” said head coach Alyssa Stolinas. “We’re a young team, and I think that played a huge factor.”
Rylee Howard tallied 10 kills, one dig, one ace, and one assist while Madison Stolinas added 21 assists, seven digs, and three aces. Medney Garraux finished with eight kills, four digs, and two aces, and Jenna Ragan added five kills and five digs.
For Stolinas, she hopes this kind of loss in the playoffs will be an opportunity for a Marco Island squad that will graduate just one senior to get ready for next year.
“After the game, that is what we talked about,” Stolinas said. “I said ‘You think the season’s over, but it’s just begun.’ How they feel now, that’s fire so that next year we’re not in the same place. And I do think that this loss will help shape and mold them into being more competitive the next time they’re in that situation.”
— Staff Reports
WEDNESDAY
Class 6A-Region 3
Fort Myers 3, Wharton 2
The Green Wave settled in after a shaky start and rallied past the visiting Wildcats for a thrilling 13-25, 25-21, 29-27, 20-25, 15-13 victory before a raucous crowd at the Wave Cave.
The comeback win marked the first state playoff victory for Fort Myers since the Green Wave advanced to the final four in 2020, the final season for LCAC Hall of Fame coach Stephanie Martin.
“I’ve been telling them since the summer that I think this is the year they have all the components,” said Fort Myers volleyball coach Shannon Puder, who took over the program in 2021. “They work hard for each other and they play for the girl next to them and that is really such a bonding force in high stress moments of a match like this.
Early on, it appeared the Green Wave weren’t ready for postseason prime time as a slew of unforced errors led to a first-set rout for Wharton (16-9), which jumped out to a 9-0 advantage.
“I told them tonight I hope you finally believe in yourselves because I believe in you.”
“I think we were expecting it to be a little easier,” junior Erin McDowell said. “We were a little disheveled there in the first set and we got it together and I’m glad we did.”
Fort Myers evened the match by holding off a late Wharton surge in the second set. Then came the pivotal third when both teams threw everything they had at one another. The Green Wave jumped out to a 10-3 lead only to see the Wildcats reel off seven consecutive points to tie it up. From there, the set featured 10 additional ties and seven lead changes before junior outside hitter Ashlee Tenkley’s kill put Fort Myers up 2-1 in the match.
“That was a huge momentum swing for us,” Puder said. “We had leads and then they would come back. But once we clinched that I think it gave us some confidence.”
Tenkley, who finished with a team-high 21 kills, had a dominant stretch in the middle of the decisive fifth set, which helped give Fort Myers some much-needed breathing room. The Wildcats responded with one last run, tying the set at 12-12 before the Green Wave finally closed them out.
“Ashley’s our go-to person for sure, especially in big moments,” Puder said. “Good players make big plays and that’s what she did.”
McDowell added a team-best 28 assists and 11 digs for Fort Myers while junior Amber Englehart contributed 18 digs and seven aces.
The Green Wave (20-8) received some welcome news following the match, learning that Riverdale upset top-seeded Charlotte in four sets. That sets up the fourth meeting of the season between the District 6A-12 rivals in the regional semifinals on Saturday back at the Wave Cave. Fort Myers is 2-1 this season against the Raiders, including a 3-1 win in the district title game last week.
“That’s amazing; we love our home crowd,” Puder said. “Riverdale’s a great team so it’s going to be a solid Saturday.”
— Dan DeLuca
Riverdale 3, Charlotte 1
PUNTA GORDA — Having lost to top-seeded Charlotte in a regular season matchup last month, eighth-seeded Riverdale came into Wednesday’s Class 6A-Region 3 volleyball quarterfinal feeling like it had nothing to lose.
The Raiders seemed like the more confident team from the get-go and turned the tables on the Tarpons with a 25-18, 20-25, 25-23, 25-23 upset victory.
“This was leave everything on the court tonight,” Riverdale coach Jessica Beall said. “It was do-or-die and we already knew what we were coming up against. We knew they were a beatable team. Anybody is beatable. We took one set from them when we played them last time so I just encouraged the girls. We know we can take one, so we can take three from them and just play with everything you have because this is it.”
“We just had to come in with a good mentality and just shake off what happened last time,” sophomore Olivia Znotens said. “Not really worry about the rankings and just know that we can play at their level. It was all about communication and staying together when they started scoring more points.”
Znotens served six straight service points in the first game to turn a 7-3 deficit into a 9-7 lead and the Raiders were on their way. After Charlotte eked out a victory in the second set, the Raiders refused to fold in game three. The Tarpons battled back from a 23-17 deficit to tie the score at 23-23, but the Raiders scored the last 2 points to win the game on a block by Meghan Tilney.
Riverdale never trailed in the fourth game but had to survive another late surge by the Tarpons, who came back from another 23-17 deficit to cut the lead to 24-23. Znotens got the game and match-winning point with a block at the net and the Raiders were on to the semifinals.
“We got our composure back and we did all the little things right to take care of the big things which led us to a victory,” Beall said. “A lot of things went our way tonight. We did much better serve receive, much better coverage, moving around, filling in spots. We played great tonight. I’m so proud of them.”
Znotens led the Raiders with 32 kills while Emily Grant had 50 assists.
For Charlotte (23-4), it was a disappointing end to its season.
“We just had a really off night and they really picked it up on their end,” Tarpons coach Michelle Dill said. “Our offense was just not there a hundred percent. ‘We had too many errors.”
Riverdale improved to 17-10 and will have another matchup with Fort Myers in the semifinals on Saturday night.
— Bruce Robins
Class 5A-Region 3
Barron Collier 3, Freedom 0
Barron Collier’s serving was feisty from the start – and the rest of its play wasn’t bad either - as the Cougars easily registered a 3-0 victory (25-11, 25-6, 25-7) over Freedom in the 5A-Region 3 quarterfinals in the Cougar Den.
“Overall, we did very well tonight,” Cougars coach Yamil Del Valle said. “Our service was aggressive so that was a big key. The communication and energy were there, We had prepared well and we knew the other team pretty well.”
The Cougars (23-6) will face St. Petersburg at 7 p.m. on Saturday at home. The Cougars, winners of five straight, hope to “bedevil” the Green Devils, who were a 3-0 winner against North Fort Myers on Wednesday evening.
The Patriots had been this way before, losing to the Cougars in Naples in the playoffs a year ago. But this time around, Freedom coach Jennifer Palacios saw some improvement.
“This year, we did a lot of things better,” Palacios said. “Our front-line play was better and so were a lot of things. So we prepared well and played better.”
“This was definitely a team effort,” said Barron Collier outside hitter Aisha Keric. “We got a lot done, and we played as hard as we could. Tonight was just a building block. We have all the pieces in place on this team.”
Keric says the Cougars have improved in every area of play since the district tournament last week.
“I feel that we are working on the little things and capitalizing on them,” Keric said. “This team is very special, in that we all have different personalities. We work together well, and we were motivated by our end goal. So, yeah, tonight was a stepping stone.”
Del Valle liked his team’s front- and back-line play put the squeeze on the Patriots.
“The front line and back lines have gone very well,” Del Valle said. “And when the back or front line makes a mistake, we try to adjust and still make it happen.”
Barron Collier has now won 15 straight sets, which is five consecutive 3-0 victories. Yet improvement is a never-ending process for the Cougars.
“We try to motivate the players and push them and do the right things and not make mistakes,” Del Valle said. “Our communication and energy are always important. And we try to touch on everything in practice, so we can keep getting better and better.”
Said Keric: “We will try to work on the small things in the gym every day.”
— Tom Corwin
Gulf Coast 3, Port Charlotte 0
Kate Drasba had 13 kills and 12 digs, and the Gulf Coast High School volleyball team was able to contain Port Charlotte's big hitter as they earned a hard-fought 3-0 victory (25-23, 25-20, 25-21) in the Region 5A-3 quarterfinals Wednesday.
The third-seeded Sharks will play at No. 2 seed Braden River on Saturday, which downed Bonita Springs in straight sets.
The sixth-seeded Pirates (14-10) really made the Sharks earn it, leading 23-22 in the first set that featured four lead changes and 12 ties, and leading 20-19 in the third set with five lead changes and 10 ties before the Sharks pulled out a short run to close out the match.
Runs were hard to come by after early rallies from both teams, with the first set having 16 straight side-outs before Port Charlotte broke through on serve. Gulf Coast was able to cobble together enough mini-runs, including a 6-1 run in the second set and a 5-1 closeout run in the third to come away with the victory.
Gulf Coast (19-8) made it a point to stop Port Charlotte's big hitter Nygeria Hart, and while she had 14 kills, several others were stopped by senior libero Casey Williams, who had 16 digs, and Drasba, who played great defense from the outside hitter position, which certainly helped make the difference, according to Gulf Coast coach John Alvarez.
"Nygeria is phenomenal. We knew we had to eliminate her and Casey just stepped it up," Alvarez said. "Teams are going to score points, especially at this point when everyone is good. Where others worry or panic, I trust the girls to do what needs to be done."
Port Charlotte coach Julie White was happy with how her team was able to keep up with the Sharks.
"I'm proud of how we played them and how our young team didn't give up. It was good to see that fight," White said. "When you come that close it has to do with our youth. We had a lot of new players who came together this year and played as well as they did, which is what we're happy about."
Sophia Schultz added 12 kills and 2 blocks and Marina Rau had 33 assists to lead the Sharks.
— Chuck Ballaro
Braden River 3, Bonita Springs 0
BRADENTON — The underdog Bonita Springs Bull Sharks gave host Braden River their best shot in the first set of the teams’ Class 5A-Region 3 volleyball quarterfinal match on Wednesday night at Braden River High School.
But like so many underdogs in sports, the Bull Sharks’ best shot was their only shot.
Down 24-23 to the visitors in that first set, the Pirates rallied to win 26-24, then took the next two sets, 25-11 and 25-17.
Second-seeded Braden River will host third-seeded Gulf Coast on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the regional semifinal round.
Unlike North Fort Myers, the Pirates’ foe in the district title match, which buckled in the first set of a 3-0 loss, the Bull Sharks’ spirited play seemed to catch Braden River off guard. The seventh seed did everything necessary to try to steal that first set. But a point away from taking the 1-0 lead, Bonita made a couple of unforced errors, and the Pirates capitalized.
“I thought we had them, honestly,” said Bonita Springs coach Kristin Crudele. “Our girls played so well. (Braden River) scrambled, but, obviously, games two and three, we scrambled and they took advantage and it just wasn’t our best.”
“I thought Bonita Springs played really well (in the first set),” said Braden River coach Matthew McElhiney, whose team improved to 21-6. “They did a lot of good things on their side of the court. They kept the ball in play, and we made a couple of uncharacteristic plays. Playoff volleyball, we got to elevate, and they did at the end.”
The first-set win seemed to relax the Pirates in sets two and three. The Bull Sharks never seriously threatened in either one.
“We didn’t give them any opportunities in sets two and three,” said McElhiney. “We did our job and our girls played really well. When we play at that level, we’re a tough beat.”
— Doug Fernandes
St. Petersburg 3, North Fort Myers 0
The Green Devils downed the Red Knights in straight sets, 25-15, 25-21, 29-27.
— Staff Reports
TUESDAY
Class 2A-Region 3
Marco Island 3, St. John Neumann 1
The moment Marco Island setter Madison Stolinas went for a ball and swung at it to keep it in play, getting it to hit the top of the net before bouncing down on the St. John Neumann side, there was a sense of confidence in the building from the Rays bench and a feeling of frustration on the other side.
Virtually everything was going right for the Rays, which entered their quarterfinal game against Neumann as the region’s No. 6 seed.
The third-seeded Celtics saw their season end abruptly, as Marco Island won 24-26, 25-16, 25-19, 25-9 to advance to the Class 2A-Region 3 semifinals.
“I think in the beginning, it was a little bit of nerves for us,” Marco Island coach Alyssa Stolinas said. “I think that’s why we made a lot of errors in the first set. That’s something we worked on, mentally. Physically, you can have all the talent in the world, but mentally, that’s key. It started in each set, and it got better and better all night. We stuck to our technique.”
Just before dropping the first set, the Rays saw things come together late in the opener before the team pushed the pace and turned it on against the Celtics. In the second set, Marco Island got off to a 7-0 start, and then went on a 6-1 run to make it 23-14 in the third set. In the fourth set, it was a similar story, as the Rays jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead before finishing on a 19-8 run.
“That’s something we focus on,” Stolinas said. “We always talk about opening the score. Make room for those errors you’re going to make because no one’s perfect. Getting that lead in the beginning gives them confidence to play aggressive. Ultimately, that’s the goal. You don’t want to play scared. You want to play aggressive. Getting that lead, it forced them to be aggressive.”
Neumann wasn’t able to sustain and build off of the first set, one in which Callee Jones slammed home a kill to make it 25-24 before a Marco Island error gave the Celtics the first set. From there, Marco Island exploited the Celtics on a handful of instances, as Neumann was the lone No. 3 seed that lost in 2A, 3A, and 4A.
Medney Garraux finished with 21 kills, 11 digs, 3 aces, and 2 blocks, Jenna Ragan added 9 kills, 10 digs, 3 aces, and a block, while Rylee Howard had 13 kills, 6 digs, and 4 blocks. Madison Stolinas had 37 assists, 14 digs, 3 aces, and a kill.
“We all were on, we all fought,” Stolinas said. “We all came together. Better now than never, and that’s the goal.”
It’ll be the same situation for Marco Island (21-6) relative to last year, taking on second-seeded Keswick Christian (24-5) in the regional semifinals on Friday. The two teams faced each other a year ago, with the Crusaders coming away with a four-set win at home.
Marco Island hopes to turn the tables on Keswick this year and get a crack at a regional title game against Seacrest or SFCA on Halloween next week. Neumann’s season closes at 14-10.
— Alex Martin
Seacrest Country Day 3, Tampa Bay HEAT 0
There was an increase in intensity at Seacrest Country Day School Tuesday night as the two-time reigning state champs started the drive for three. And fortunately for coach Jeff Motluck, the Stingrays looked up to the challenge.
Seacrest easily beat the Tampa Bay HEAT in the region quarterfinals 25-14, 25-9, 25-7, leaving the home team only two wins away from a third straight trip to the state Final Four.
Winning for the 11th time in the last 12 games, the Stingrays were led by outside hitter Brooke Spurgeon with 16 digs. Sami Soderlund had 16 kills and a hitting percentage .556. Milena Lopez had 34 assists and a hitting percentage of .454.
Seacrest (25-3) meets Southwest Florida Christian in the Region 2A-3 semifinals at 7 p.m. Friday. SFCA beat Hernando Christian Tuesday night on the road.
“I think we had some nerves coming out here, so it was a matter of getting settled in,” Motluck said. “We are a team that always stresses first contact in every game. It was a matter of being in a system. When we are in a system, we feel we are a very hard team to defend.”
Tampa Bay HEAT coach Fernando Saavedra gave credit where credit was due.
“Seacrest has a great overall team. I’m unhappy with the second and third sets, but I was pleased with the first,” Saavedra said. “In the first set, we were able to play our own game. In the first set, we weren’t shocked at seeing so many great players. But in the second set, we came down a few levels.”
In the first set, the smash-mouth kills and serving of Soderlund helped Seacrest get off to a 5-2 lead. But then the HEAT peeled off four straight to take the lead. A few minutes later, the HEAT led 11-9 before Seacrest put together a comeback. The Stingrays went on an 8-1 spurt and after that breezed to the victory.
Behind “killer” blocking from Seacrest’s front line, the Stingrays got off to a 10-4 lead in set No. 2 and were never threatened. The third set was more dominance by Seacrest.
— Tom Corwin
SFCA 3, Hernando Christian 1
The King’s move on to the 2A regional semifinal after downing the Lions 26-28, 25-15, 25-18, 25-20.
SFCA had three hitters in double-digit kills, outside hitter Bianka Noah led the attack with 20 kills followed by middle Grace Coggins with 11 and Haylee Masiero with 10. Libero Robbie Warden had 30 digs to lead the King’s defense.
They now turn to district foe Seacrest in the next round, which swept SFCA in the District 12 championship match.
— Staff reports
Class 3A-Region 3
Berkeley Prep 3, Canterbury 0
His team facing the end of its regional playoff journey barely a half-hour after it had begun, Cougars coach Charlie Castillo had a brief but direct meeting with his players.
“We just basically told them to show everyone here tonight who you are and what you’re capable of,” Castillo said. “We knew things weren’t going (well) for us right from the start, and we didn’t want to leave the gym feeling that we had anything left in the tank.”
That journey did, in fact, end with a three-set loss 25-16, 25-12, 25-18 in the Class 3A-Region 3 quarterfinals, but not before Canterbury followed coach’s orders – bolting to an 11-3 lead in the final set.
“We just talked about playing for each other,” said senior Madison Hammermeister. “Our team is so close. We knew in the first two (sets), we were not giving everything we could give, and we all just wanted to do it for each other.
“I think we showed we could compete.”
Canterbury (17-9) avenged two losses to First Baptist with a stirring four-set upset to win the stacked District 12 tournament and won 11 of 19 matches against state playoff qualifiers. The region’s No. 6 seed, however, had to make the 147-mile trip to face the Buccaneers (19-6), who have won 16 state championships since 1986.
“That was not us on the court,” said senior Addison Piatt. “It sucks that the season ends this way and that we ended on such a bad note.”
But it didn’t, really. Middle hitter Olivia Hoy blocked Maia McCullough’s smash to give the Cougars a 7-1 lead in the third. Charlotte Laquis put away a free ball to make it 10-3.
That’s when juniors Hannah Hankerson (19 kills, 1 ace), Izzy Mogridge (29 assists), and Lily Hayes (21 digs) reclaimed their territory. A thunderous kill by Hankerson started the comeback, Mogridge’s tap made it 11-6 and Emery Fertic’s kill brought Berkeley within 11-9.
Hankerson served an ace at 12-all – capping a 10-1 run – and blasts by the 5-foot-7 outside hitter provided four of Berkeley Prep’s final six points. Canterbury had suffered similar lapses in the first two sets, including an 8-0 run in the second.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t play our best ball by any means tonight,” Castillo said. “That’s a really good, talented team on the other side that’s coached well. If you want to beat a team like that, you have to be at your best and that’s not where we were tonight.”
Brighten Sedmack, a 5-foot-11 junior outside hitter, led Canterbury with eight kills.
Castillo is calling next fall a “reloading” – not rebuilding – season. Sedmack, who had a team-high 233 kills, will join forces with junior Aaliyah Harlow and sophomore Molly Dunn (11 assists, 1 ace against Berkeley), among 11 returnees. That group also includes Isabelle Evans, an intriguing 6-foot eighth-grader.
“I think we’ve set a really good foundation,” the coach said. “The hard part is done, the leadership and the mental side of the game. The physical side still has a lot to be determined. The program is in a really good place.”
— Donnie Wilkie
Calvary Christian 3, First Baptist 0
The Lions season came to an end after being swept by the Warriors, 25-16, 25-20, 25-17. Zara Stewart tallied 10 kills, 11 digs, and three aces in the loss while Laila Stewart dished out 22 assists. Peyton Garrick finished with nine kills and nine digs, while Aniston Newman added 10 digs.
— Staff reports
Class 4A-Region 3
Estero 3, LaBelle 0
The Wildcats made quick work of the Cowgirls, winning in straight sets 25-8, 25-14, 25-12. The Wildcats made quick work of the Cowgirls, winning in straight sets. 25-8, 25-14, 25-12.
Gia Rosencrans tallied seven kills and five blocks, while Ashlynn Ban added six kills, two blocks, and three aces. Sophie Perkins finished with a team-high nine kills, and Mercer commit Sofia King dished out 20 assists with two aces. Julia Martus added six aces to the winning effort.
— Staff reports
Robinson 3, Aubrey Rogers 1
The Patriots inaugural season ended at the hands of the Knights 26-24, 25-19, 21-25, 25-21. Mariana Franco and Ava Wall had six kills each for Aubrey Rogers, while Angela Dorta-Chavez and Emilie Perez added 17 digs each. Emilie Perez had three aces, while Olivia Silver added two aces.
Aubrey Rogers finished at 13-13 under Saad Rivera in the program's first season, an encouraging sign for the team moving forward that returns many key pieces.
— Staff reports
Follow Southwest Florida Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Regional quarterfinal volleyball results for Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral teams
