Tuesday was a big night for the Newberry Panthers volleyball team.

Not only did the host Panthers sweep Palatka, 3-0, (25-15, 25-17, 25-14) in their District 5-3A Semifinal, but it was the 100th win for Newberry head coach Hank Rone.

The top-seeded Panthers (18-8) will host No. 2-seed Keystone Heights in Thursday’s district championship game. Keystone Heights knocked off No. 3 seed Crescent City, 3-1, in the other semifinal.

Newberry defeated Keystone Heights, 3-1, in its regular-season meeting on Aug. 23.

It was a special night for Rone and his team as he earned a milestone win and Newberry avenged a five-set loss at Pallatka during the regular season.

Rone led Newberry to a state runner-up finish in 2020 as well as the state final four in 2023. As an assistant, he also helped lead Newberry to state runner-up finishes in 2016 and 2019.

Rone is proud of his team and of this milestone in his sixth year as head coach at Newberry.

“It’s an awesome feeling because you have to stay around,” Rone said. “To have a daughter play for me from 2019-22 and be a part of this hundred, because a lot of parents, when their kid graduates, they stop coaching. But it’s just in my blood.

“Today I was nervous and as long as I’m nervous and I’m feeling that I still enjoy coaching and to get 100 wins means you have to stay four or five years.”

Rone and his team were ready to go after losing the last two meetings to Palatka in five sets, including in last year’s district tournament.

Newberry scored the first 10 points of the opening set, as senior Meadow Moses went on a run serving and had a couple of aces in that span. She ended up with a team-high four aces.

The two teams played even for most of the rest of the set, with Palatka getting no closer than eight points.

“I could just tell when I walked in here today that their attitude was a little different,” Rone said. “It’s playoff time, and here at Newberry, we’ve been pretty good in the playoffs.”

The second set started off more even, with the two teams trading the lead until they were tied at 7-all. Newberry never trailed after that and scored the last five points for a 2-0 lead.

Palatka hung around for most of the third set, pulling within 16-13, before Newberry scored eight straight and nine of the last 10 points to finish it off.

“The energy was phenomenal and when they’re having fun, they’re a hard team to beat,” Rone said. “This whole season our No. 1 goal was to be ranked No. 1 so we could have this opportunity to play at home.”

Freshman Carly Myers led with 11 kills and 17 digs, and junior Kinsley Harvey added 23 assists. 

2025 FHSAA Volleyball District Tournaments

Times are subject to change

Area teams in bold

Rural-District 6 – Semifinals & Championship at Union County (Lake Butler)

Monday, Oct. 13 (Quarterfinals) 

3 Union County (Lake Butler) 3, 6 Taylor County (Perry) 0– 25-11, 25-8, 25-16

5 Bell 3, 4 Dixie County (Cross City) 2 – 19-25, 16-25, 25-17, 25-21, 15-8

2 Lafayette (Mayo) 3, 7 Fort White 0 – 25-4, 25-18, 25-17

Tuesday, Oct. 14 (Semifinals) 

1 Branford 3, 5 Bell 0 – 25-11, 25-8, 25-15

3 Union County (Lake Butler) 3, 2 Lafayette (Mayo) 0 – 25-22, 25-18, 25-15

Thursday, Oct. 16 (Championship) 

1 Branford at 5 Bell, 7 p.m.

Rural-District 7 – at Higher seed

Monday, Oct. 13 (Quarterfinals) 

4 Cedar Key 3, 5 Bronson 1 – 19-25, 25-15, 25-11, 25-20

3 Trenton 3, 6 Wildwood 0 – 25-11, 25-3, 25-13

2 Chiefland 3, 7 Hawthorne 0 – 25-17, 25-14, 25-14

Tuesday, Oct. 14 (Semifinals) 

1 Williston 3, 4 Cedar Key 1 – 21-25, 25-20, 25-12, 25-15

3 Trenton 3, 2 Chiefland 2 – 25-19, 25-20, 18-25, 20-25, 15-8

Thursday, Oct. 16 (Championship) 

3 Trenton at 1 Williston, 6 p.m.

Class 1A-District 4 – Semifinals & Championship at Redeemer Christian (Ocala)

Monday, Oct. 13 (Quarterfinals) 

4 Countryside Christian 3, 5 St. John Lutheran (Ocala) 0 – 25-22, 25-17, 25-19

3 Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) 3, 6 Hernando Christian Academy (Brooksville) 1 – 25-16, 21-25, 25-19, 25-16

Tuesday, Oct. 14 (Semifinals) 

1 Meadowbrook Academy (Ocala) 3, 4 Countryside Christian 1 – 25-11, 25-18, 32-34, 25-20

3 Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) at 2 Redeemer Chrisian (Ocala), 7 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 16 (Championship) 

1 Meadowbrook Academy (Ocala) vs. Seven Rivers Christian/Redeemer Christian winner, 6 p.m.

Class 2A-District 1 – Semifinals/Championship at Higher Seed

Monday, Oct. 13 (Quarterfinals) – at Maclay (Tallahassee)

3 Destin 3, 6 P.K. Yonge 0

4 Saint Francis Catholic Academy 3, 5 Rocky Bayou Christian (Niceville) 0 – 25-20, 25-20, 25-15

Tuesday, Oct. 14 (Semifinals) 

2 Oak Hall 3, 3 Destin 1 – 25-16, 23-25, 25-20, 25-16

4 Saint Francis Catholic Academy 3, 1 Maclay (Tallahassee) 2 – 25-21, 23-25, 31-33, 25-15, 16-14

Thursday, Oct. 16 (Championship) 

4 Saint Francis Catholic Academy at 2 Oak Hall, 6 p.m.

Class 3A-District 4 – at Higher seed

Tuesday, Oct. 14 (Semifinals) 

1 Wolfson (Jacksonville) 3, 4 Bradford (Starke) 0 – 25-12, 25-15, 25-20

3 Episcopal (Jacksonville) 3, 2 Bolles (Jacksonville) 1 – 20-25, 25-23, 25-13, 25-22

Thursday, Oct. 16 (Championship) 

3 Episcopal (Jacksonville) at 1 Wolfson (Jacksonville), 6 p.m.

Class 3A-District 5 – at Higher seed

Monday, Oct. 13 (Quarterfinals)

4 Palatka 3, 5 Interlachen 0 – 25-21, 25-10, 25-21

Tuesday, Oct. 14 (Semifinals) 

2 Keystone Heights 3, 3 Crescent City 1 – 10-25, 25-19, 25-13, 25-21

1 Newberry 3, 4 Palatka 0 – 25-15, 25-17, 25-14

Thursday, Oct. 16 (Championship) 

2 Keystone Heights at 1 Newberry, 6:30 p.m.

Class 4A-District 2 – at Higher seed

Tuesday, Oct. 14 (Semifinals) 

3 Godby (Tallahassee) at 2 Suwannee (Live Oak), 6 p.m.

1 Wakulla (Crawfordville) 3, 4 Rickards (Tallahassee) 0 – 25-12, 25-19, 25-8

Thursday, Oct. 16 (Championship) 

Godby/Suwannee winner at 1 Wakulla (Crawfordville), 6 p.m.

Class 4A-District 5 – District semifinals & championship at Crystal River

Monday, Oct. 13 (Quarterfinals)

4 North Marion (Citra) 3, 5 Eastside 1 – 25-20, 25-14,23-25, 25-13

3 Lake Weir (Ocala) 3, 6 Dunnellon 0 – 25-7, 25-17, 25-9

Tuesday, Oct. 14 (Semifinals) 

1 Santa Fe (Alachua) 3, 4 North Marion (Citra) 0 – 25-9, 25-19, 25-5

2 Crystal River 3, 3 Lake Weir (Ocala) 1 – 25-18, 14-25, 25-17, 25-15

Thursday, Oct. 16 (Championship) 

1 Santa Fe (Alachua) at 2 Crystal River, 7 p.m.

Class 5A-District 2 – at Higher seed

Tuesday, Oct. 14 (Semifinals) 

3 Lincoln (Tallahassee) 3, 2 Leon (Tallahassee) 2 – 27-25, 25-27, 26-24, 16-25, 17-15

1 Chiles (Tallahassee) 3, 4 Columbia (Lake City) 0 – 25-14, 25-10, 25-8

Thursday, Oct. 16 (Championship) 

3 Lincoln (Tallahassee) at 1 Chiles (Tallahassee), 6 p.m.

Class 5A-District 5 – at Higher seed (Championship at Lecanto)

Monday, Oct. 13 (Quarterfinals)

5 Belleview 3, 4 Leesburg 2 – 14-25, 25-11, 25-19, 23-25, 16-14

Tuesday, Oct. 14 (Semifinals) 

1 Gainesville 3, 5 Belleview 0 – 25-11, 25-11, 25-8

2 Lecanto 3, 3 Vanguard (Ocala) 1 – 25-16, 25-12, 22-25, 25-20

Thursday, Oct. 16 (Championship) 

1 Gainesville at 2 Lecanto, 7 p.m.

Class 6A-District 2 – Semifinals & Championship at Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine)

Monday, Oct. 13 (Quarterfinals)

4 Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) 3, 5 Oakleaf (Orange Park) 2 – 25-22, 25-18, 18-25, 21-25, 15-6

2 Fletcher (Neptune Beach) 3, 7 First Coast (Jacksonville) 0 – 25-16, 25-5, 25-14

3 Bartram Trail (St. Johns) 3, 6 Nease (Ponte Vedra) 1 – 25-27, 25-16, 25-21, 25-23

Tuesday, Oct. 14 (Semifinals) 

2 Fletcher (Neptune Beach) 3, 3 Bartram Trail (St. Johns) 1 – 25-20, 23-25, 25-23, 25-17

1 Buchholz 3, 4 Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) 0 – 25-20, 25-17, 25-21

Thursday, Oct. 16 (Championship) 

1 Buchholz vs. 2 Fletcher (Neptune Beach), 7 p.m.