Two decades in the making: Chiles volleyball sweeps Ponte Vedra, wins 6A regional title
With every fan in the stands on their feet and the score 27-26 in the third set, Lindsay Smith had the opportunity to send Chiles volleyball to the state final four for the first time in nearly two decades.
Sending her serve towards the Ponte Vedra side of the court, she aced it.
The ace capped off the Timberwolves' 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 28-26) sweep over Ponte Vedra (15-14) in the 6A Region 1 final, booking Chiles (25-5) a spot in the state final four, its first appearance since 2005.
Smith led the Timberwolves' efforts in Wednesday night's match against Ponte Vedra, tallying 14 kills, five aces and seven digs, including the all-important match-sealing ace in the third set.
With Chiles leading by as many as seven points in the third set, the Sharks came back to take a 23-20 lead, forcing a game-changing timeout from Chiles head coach Kaitlin Jahn.
"She basically told us you've got five points to get to the Final Four for the state," Smith said. "I think it was just that reality that we have five points to push through and we are in the Final Four. It was just that realization of we beat them the first two sets, we can finish this."
Winning both a district and now regional title, Smith feels this year's team knew it had a chance to make it this far, but it is now starting to realize its potential as the Timberwolves head to the state final four for the first time in 18 years.
"At the beginning of the season, we knew we were a good team, but to actually accomplish this is amazing," Smith said. It's us realizing 'Wait, we can do this' and knowing we have the talent and a team that can make it this far."
Writing school history
The Timberwolves have not only been one of the most dominant teams in the Big Bend but in the state.
Going undefeated at home with an 11-0 record, the first time the team has done that since Jahn became head coach. Chiles has won 73 sets and only lost 19 this season and is hoping that this year's team can rewrite the history books at Lawton Chiles.
"It's been a lot of hard work to get to this point," Jahn said. "This group is really special. They wanted to change the course of history for us and they're doing that not only now, but they're teaching our younger players that this is what we do, and we're looking forward to the next round."
With a team that is composed of five seniors, the majority of this season's team will return next year, something Jahn thinks could help take the program to new heights in the coming seasons.
One of the reasons for Chiles success this season has been its versatile offense, being able to utilize players like Kate Stewart, Kaylin Johnson, Natalie Gibson and Smith in various ways to attack opponents. With that versatility, Jahn thinks her team always has a player on the court who can make a difference in a close game.
"We have a lot of weapons and we finally have found a way to utilize everybody at the right times," Jahn said. "So just staying in our system and making sure that we're doing that gives us an advantage against other opponents."
Only two matches away from a historic first state championship in school history, Jahn said she and the squad are looking forward to the opportunity to possibly write their names in the Chiles history books.
"We're excited," Jahn said, "Not only just to be there, but we're excited to try to bring one back home."
Chiles will head to Winter Haven next week and face Viera (26-4) in the state semifinals at Polk State College on Wednesday, Nov. 8, with the match currently scheduled for 4 p.m.
Chiles stat leaders: Kills: Lindsay Smith (14), Kate Stewart (11), Kaylin Johnson (5), Aces: Smith (5), Aubrey Justin, Stewart, Natalie Gibson (1), Blocks: Delaney Scott-Hanowell (4), Johnson (3), Gibson and Gaby Harnden (2), Digs: Gibson (15), Smith (7), Stewart and Holly Sanders (6), Assists: Gibson (29), Stewart (3)
Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Chiles volleyball sweep Ponte Vedra, win 6A Regional title, going to state final 4
