Advertisement

Seacrest headed to third straight state championship game with win over Orangewood Christian

alex martin, naples daily news
·4 min read

Needing a spark with a packed Orangewood Christian student section on the opposite side, things were tougher than normal for the Seacrest Country Day volleyball team Monday afternoon in Winter Haven.

The Stingrays (28-3) fended off a feisty Rams (22-9) squad that didn’t have to travel far from Orlando, winning 25-18, 25-16, 23-25, 25-20 at Polk State College to advance to Tuesday's Class 2A championship game.

State Preview: Seacrest volleyball looking to defend state title once more in quest for three-peat

“I like that we got challenged a little bit,” Seacrest coach Jeff Motluck said. “We got taken out of our comfort zone a bit. It was good for us. They’re a very talented team. That had a nice warm-up. Part of our mission was to reduce the number of contacts from their middle hitters. That led to us being aggressive and serving well.

Seacrest's 19 Alex Haley keeps the ball in play next to teammate Brooke Spurgeon during the Class 2A state semifinal match in Winter Haven on Nov. 6, 2023.
Seacrest's 19 Alex Haley keeps the ball in play next to teammate Brooke Spurgeon during the Class 2A state semifinal match in Winter Haven on Nov. 6, 2023.

“We were in system and had a great first contact. We were getting kills pretty much all the time. They’re a very talented team, and they certainly deserved to be here. I was proud of how we stepped up and took the challenge, and persevered.”

The Stingrays trailed 7-3 in the first set, forcing an earlier-than-normal timeout from Motluck. Seacrest went on a 5-0 run after that timeout to take an 8-7 lead. At that point, Seacrest and Orangewood would tie just once more at 8-all before finishing the first set with a 25-18 win.

Nova Southeastern commit Brooke Spurgeon was consistent on the attacking front in each of the four sets played, finishing with a game-high 23 kills. Georgetown commit Sami Soderlund finished with 14, while Florida Southern commit Bali Coles added 10, including the game-sealing kill to send Seacrest back to its third straight state title game. UNC Charlotte commit Milena Lopez dished out 50 assists.

Seacrest players Klaudia Beach and Brooke Spurgeon blocked Orangewood Kaleigh Langmo’s spike during the Class 2A state semifinal match in Winter Haven on Nov. 6, 2023.
Seacrest players Klaudia Beach and Brooke Spurgeon blocked Orangewood Kaleigh Langmo’s spike during the Class 2A state semifinal match in Winter Haven on Nov. 6, 2023.

“I could not be more proud of our girls,” Spurgeon said. “We fought until the end. Orangewood Christian put up a great battle. We didn’t take any point lightly. I think it was our effort and our love for the game and each other really pushed us through. We came out aggressive, we wanted to stay aggressive the whole game, and I think we rose to that challenge.

“They were great defensively. They put some great swings in our court as well. We were happy to have great competition in the semifinals to prepare for tomorrow’s game.”

Seacrest looked shakier than normal in spurts during the match, committing a total of 12 errors in the first set. Orangewood’s defense, coupled in with Seacrest’s own doing at times, amounted to a total of 37 errors or violations in the match, far higher than the season average of 5.3 per set. Seacrest would commit six in the second, 12 in the third, and seven in the fourth to give Orangewood temporary belief.

Seacrest's Samantha Soderlund blasts a spike past Orangewood defenders during the Class 2A state semifinal match in Winter Haven on Nov. 6, 2023.
Seacrest's Samantha Soderlund blasts a spike past Orangewood defenders during the Class 2A state semifinal match in Winter Haven on Nov. 6, 2023.

Klaudia Beach overcame some of those lapses and had a big game up front on the block, finishing with six block assists in the match to give Seacrest momentum at critical moments. The junior middle added six kills as well, providing another offensive weapon as it looks to finish its season with a third consecutive state title.

“She’s really starting to come around, and she’s getting more comfortable,” Motluck said. “Milena (Lopez) is doing a much better job at finding her in the offense and getting her the ball… She’s been doing a great job.”

With the win, Seacrest will take on Boca Raton Christian Tuesday at Polk State College. The Blazers and Stingrays have traded the No. 1 spot all season in the FHSAA and MaxPreps rankings, separated by just one spot statewide in MaxPreps and three spots statewide in the FHSAA rankings. Both teams are ranked inside the top 25 in the state.

Seacrest's Milena Lopez (10) celebrates a hard-won point during the Class 2A state semifinal match in Winter Haven on Nov. 6, 2023.
Seacrest's Milena Lopez (10) celebrates a hard-won point during the Class 2A state semifinal match in Winter Haven on Nov. 6, 2023.

Seacrest didn’t have much of a student body in attendance, but that is set to change for tomorrow. There will be a fan bus to try and propel the Stingrays to a three-peat, something that has been done just once on the Southwest Florida volleyball circuit (Canterbury, 2000-02).

“We play to represent our school,” Spurgeon said. “Our school is our support system. We just love to make them proud. We play for them. We play for each other. Them coming up, giving us a little more of a student section, and more fans is super exciting. It’s a great opportunity to have them coming up. We’re very grateful to have that chance and try and witness something that’s never been done in school history.”

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: Seacrest downs Orangewood Christian to advance to third straight state title game