High School Volleyball Teams Shine in State Tournament

Sarasota High School Sports Roundup

In a thrilling weekend of high school volleyball, the Cardinal Mooney Cougars pulled off a stunning comeback against the Calvary Christian Crusaders in the Class 3A-Regional 3 state semifinal. After losing the first set, the Cougars rebounded to win three consecutive sets, securing a 3-1 victory (18-25, 26-24, 25-19, 25-13). With this win, the Cougars, now with a record of 22-4, will advance to the regional final on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. against either No. 1 Berkeley Prep or No. 4 Kings Academy.

Head coach Allen Knight praised his team’s ability to adjust to Calvary’s game plan after the initial setback. “We are very proud of the girls and how they focused on controlling the ball and transitioning to offense,” he stated. Several players shined in the match, including Sydney Sparma with five kills and 12 digs, Izzy Russell with ten kills and 32 assists, and Riley Greene who contributed with ten kills and 22 assists. The team demonstrated strong defense, which helped to contain Calvary’s powerful offense, ultimately leading to their victory.

Meanwhile, the Venice High volleyball team also enjoyed success in their regional semifinal against Winter Haven, winning convincingly with a score of 3-1 (25-21, 20-25, 25-17, 25-20). With this result, Venice improved their record to 14-9 and is set to face the defending state champion Plant in the upcoming regional championship match. Summer Kohler stood out with a remarkable 26 kills and 16 digs, while Brooke Gruhl contributed with 39 assists.

On the girls’ swimming side, the Riverview High School swim teams swept their competitors at the 4A-District 9 meet. Both the boys and girls teams came out on top, earning team titles in convincing fashion. The girls accumulated a total of 638 points, far ahead of second-place Venice with 428 points. The boys squad won with a score of 577, just ahead of Sarasota at 478. David Melnychuk was a key performer for the boys, finishing first in multiple events, including the 200 Yard Freestyle.

Finally, Seacrest Country Day’s volleyball team has continued its impressive run, winning their quarterfinals match against Sarasota Christian 3-0 (25-9, 25-11, 25-12). They move on to the Class 1A-Region 3 title match next week. Coach Andy Wimmer emphasized the importance of picking up the team’s intensity and focus, hoping to carry this momentum into the next round.

Sarasota’s high school sports teams are certainly making waves as they delve deeper into their respective tournaments. With regional finals set for the coming week, excitement is in the air as fans eagerly await what the next matches will have in store.