'That's what we needed': Pine Ridge captures 4th straight district title against Tavares
DELTONA — Late in Thursday’s second set, when the Pine Ridge Panthers were in the process of going up 2-0 on Tavares, senior Kay Roman pounded a kill onto the hardwood floor.
The Panthers executed the play so perfectly and Roman hammered the ball so hard that they were still buzzing about it a few moments later in the post-set huddle, laughing and mimicking their moves.
“I went up in the air, and as soon as I went up in the air, everything just opened up,” Roman said. “I hit it straight down. All I know is, I turned and everything stopped. Everyone’s jaw was on the floor. I was flabbergasted.”
One set later, the team was celebrating something else: a district championship.
The top-seeded Panthers claimed the third set to polish off a 3-0 sweep of the second-seeded Bulldogs on their home court in the District 7-5A finals. It’s the fourth straight district title for the Panthers.
“We came out a little rusty, and I was a little nervous at first, but we definitely pulled it together,” first-year head coach Ruthie King said. “We have a really strong team. The coach of the other team said it’s our defense. 100%.
“You could tell the height difference on that team compared to us, so we definitely had to be scrappy on the floor. We had some big-time plays that definitely put us in the game. But our energy overall, that’s what we needed.”
As King said, the first set induced the most anxiety for Pine Ridge (20-5).
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After taking the first point of the match, the Panthers didn’t hold another lead until 18-17. They fell down by as many as five points 17-12 before rattling off six straight. Roman, senior Lauren Powell and senior Mili Avila-Bauzo each tallied kills during the run.
The squads battled back and forth for a few points, and Tavares regained the lead 24-23. Senior Aly Rosa put down a kill to tie the score. The Bulldogs added another point, jumping in front 25-24. But with back-to-back Rosa kills and then one by Avila-Bauzo, Pine Ridge captured the set 27-25.
Even while trailing, King felt comfortable. Her team didn’t change anything other than playing cleaner volleyball.
“Our team, it’s like a game with them,” she said. “They like to be down as much as possible, and then they come back. It literally is a game. It happens a lot of the times we play. They like to do the comeback game. It’s something that we live for.”
The second set belonged to the Panthers from the beginning. Rosa notched a kill, then Powell served an ace, and Pine Ridge led the rest of the set. It finished it 25-16, with Roman’s thunderous spike marking one of the final points.
“I felt like the second set was a real turning point because of our energy,” Powell said.
The same energy they displayed in the huddle after the period.
“We were pumped up,” Rosa said. “We were ready to end this and win for the fourth time in a row.”
The third set was closer. Rosa kicked it off with two kills, but Tavares grabbed its first advantage since the first set at 4-3. The Panthers shoved ahead 7-6. Following Pine Ridge securing an 8-7 lead on a Roman block, the Bulldogs remained within striking distance but never leaped ahead.
For much of the set, they sat just one point back and even knotted the score at 16-16.
Clinging to a 21-20 lead, the Panthers pushed for four straight points, including a service ace by junior Karina Crespo on the final play, to send Tavares home.
“My heart was racing,” Crespo said. “That serve was going out. I’m just so thankful she touched it. It was like the best thing ever.”
“I wanted to cry, but I didn’t want to seem like a crybaby,” said Avila-Bauzo, who paced Pine Ridge with 17 kills. “But inside, I wanted to cry. It felt great.”
The Panthers locked up a spot in the regional bracket with the victory. King said her team will learn its first-round destination on Saturday.
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New Smyrna Beach loses in District 4-6A finals
The New Smyrna Beach Barracudas fell 3-0 to No. 1 Gainesville in the District 4-6A championship Thursday in the Hurricanes’ gym.
New Smyrna Beach, the defending district, regional and 6A state champion, entered the tournament as the second seed and dispatched No. 3 Forest 3-1 in the semifinals after a quarterfinals bye.
Against Gainesville Thursday, the Barracudas dropped the first set 25-13, the second 25-12 and the third 25-17.
Senior Kaelyn Fredette-Huffman had a team-best 18 serve receptions while tying junior Megan Lee for the team lead of four kills. Senior Alyssa Kornegay recorded 15 assists.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High school volleyball: Pine Ridge beats Tavares in district finals
