- Branford won its first volleyball state title on Nov. 5 and had four players selected to the 2025 Bosshardt Realty Small School All Area team.
- Mylie Fernandez of Branford was named Florida Dairy Farmers Rural Player of the Year with 781 assists and 136 kills in the season.
- Union County had five All Area selections including top players Jailyn Simmons and Bella Johns.
Editor’s Note: This is the first of three stories unveiling the 2025 Bosshardt Realty All Area Volleyball Teams.
One of the toughest volleyball districts in the state was FHSAA Rural-District 6.
Three teams from that district made the state playoffs – top-ranked Branford, Union County (Lake Butler) and Lafayette (Mayo).
Branford, which won its first volleyball state title in program history on Nov. 5, and region finalist Union County, which lost to Branford in the Rural-Region 3 Final, dominated the 2025 Bosshardt Realty Small School All Area team with nine of the 14 selections on the first or second team.
Bucs setter Mylie Fernandez helped lead the Bucs (24-4) to the FHSAA Rural state title with 781 assists, 136 kills, 200 digs, 53 aces, 47 blocks and a .311 hitting percentage.
“Mylie was an outstanding leader this year,” said first-year Branford coach Lachelle Sikes. “She’s one of those players that just makes you love coaching. She is always ready to get better and does a great job of expecting greatness from her team while also encouraging them.”
In November, she was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Rural Player of the Year.
“Her setting decisions and defense tremendously improved this season, and I think her potential is outstanding,” Sikes said. “Her commitment to Warner University shows her dedication to this sport and I’m so excited to continue to watch her excel.”
Fernandez made the first team along with outside hitter Lalyn Sikes and senior middle blocker Adriauna Combs.
Laylyn Sikes finished second on the team with 269 kills. She led the Bucs with 54 aces and was second with 278 digs.
“Lalyn is an incredible athlete and teammate,” Lachelle Sikes said. “I think she carries just a calmness that is very rare for someone her age. She doesn’t really get shaken up. I think she obviously is able to dominate on the court, but her court presence and volleyball IQ are what really make her stand out as an athlete.”
Lalyn Sikes, who is just an eighth grader, is the younger sister of coach Lachelle Sikes.
“She’s a huge part of this team’s success and I cannot wait to see where the rest of her high school career takes her,” Lachelle Sikes said. “As her coach, she is an incredible player to get to coach. As her sister, she makes me prouder than she will ever know.”
Combs led Branford with 284 kills and a .375 hitting percentage.
“Adriauna, or ‘A’ as we call her, is one of the fiercest competitors I have ever watched,” Lachelle Sikes said. “She has this competitiveness that comes out where, even when we are at practice, you are scared to be on the other side of the net.”
Combs also led the team with 64 blocks.
“Her court awareness has been her greatest growing area this year,” Lachelle Sikes said. “She has so much power, and now that she can see the court and where to put the ball, she can’t be stopped. She’s hungry to get better every time she steps in the gym and expects so much of herself because she knows what she is capable of. She has been such a joy to coach this season and played a massive part in the success of the team this year.”
Union County (21-9), which also lost to Branford in the Rural-District 6 championship game, had a pair of Tigers on the first team, including senior middle blocker Jailyn Simmons and senior libero Bella Johns.
Simmons led the team in kills (325), aces (61) and total blocks (60).
“Jailyn is a playmaker for us,” said Union County coach Tifani Knox. “She made things happen when we needed it. As a four-year starter, she brought experience and effort to the team.”
Johns had a team-leading 391 digs, led the team with 559 serve receptions, finished third with 52 assists and was fourth with 37 aces.
“Bella is a leader in the back row and kept the defense running,” Knox said. “She has a great serve and made plays when we needed them.”
Rounding out the first team were Oak Hall senior outside hitter Haley Janes and Dixie County (Cross City) senior RS/Opp Averleigh McFarlan.
Janes helped lead the Class 2A Eagles (15-11) to their fifth straight district title and a postseason berth.
“Haley Janes delivered a sensational senior year despite facing tremendous adversity,” said OHS coach Perry McDonald, who took over midway through the season. “Her rock-solid, dependable attacking presence and leadership were seminal in helping Oak Hall to rally late in the season.”
She led the team with 192 kills and finished second with 173 digs.
“Haley unequivocally gave her best effort and performance at a time when Oak Hall needed it most and I could not be prouder of her,” McDonald said. “She is a young woman that has been an unsung hero in the sport of volleyball, and I love the fact that she was able to complete her competitive career as a champion who walked away playing at her highest level.”
McFarlan led the Bears with 196 kills and also had a respectable .227 average.
“Averleigh is a constantly evolving player who did not truly find her passion for the game until this past summer,” said Dixie County coach Jim Bendel. “Volleyball no longer was a social event for her, and she realized how much she would miss the game if she did not work as hard as she could over the summer and season. She became a responsible leader and assumed the role of co-captain this season.”
She was also third on the team with 41 total blocks.
“I have coached Averleigh for the past four seasons and this year she will earn her third varsity letter,” Bendel said. “Averleigh has not officially committed yet to play in college, but has had many offers to play.”
McFarlan’s teammate, senior libero Jaicee Brown, also made the second team.
“Jaicee has been on the varsity team since my first season at Dixie four years ago,” Bendel said. “She is one of the hardest workers on the court and she shows up every day, whether she is a little sick or injured. Jaicee has been a mentor for the two younger D/S’s on our team, helping them grow and become better for Dixie’s future.”
She finished with a team-leading 584 digs, which was fifth in Florida in the Rural class, to give her 1,663 for her varsity career.
“Jaicee is our captain and did a great job leading her teammates through the highs and lows of the season,” Bendel said. “She is also a student first with a 3.8 GPA and has been recognized with the Lamp of Knowledge award (3.5 GPA or higher) for every season she was eligible for one. Jaicee has not officially committed yet to play in college, but has received many offers to continue her playing career. Coaches are not supposed to have favorites, but Jaicee is one of the most coachable athletes I’ve ever had and that definitely makes it enjoyable for the coaches.”
A total of three Union County players made the second team.
Senior outside hitter Indi Knox finished second for the Tigers with 270 digs and was third with 194 serve receptions. She tied for third on the team with 196 kills.
“Indi is a very mentally tough player who helps lead her teammates through struggles with consistency,” said her mom, Tifani Knox. “Her consistency built trust between her teammates, which served us well in tough situations.”
She is joined by junior middle blocker Mallory Waugh, who was second with 206 kills, 303 assists, 52 aces and 37 total blocks.
“Mallory played two tough positions very well, middle and setter,” Tifani Knox said. “She was able to switch between them with ease and was one of our go-to hitters.”
Senior setter Abigail Williams completes the team-high five selections with a team-high 482 assists. She also finished third with 45 aces.
“Abigail worked very hard to make good setting decisions,” Knox said. “She has a great serve and brought good energy to the court.”
Branford junior RS/Opp Anabella Dicks made the second team to give the Bucs a total of four players on the All Area team.
“Bella has been such a consistent force on the court,” Lachelle Sikes said. “She is a player that is just willing to step into any position you need her in. We have had her play all three front row positions, as well as set and DS. She is willing to do whatever it takes for her team, and I had nothing but appreciation and admiration for that and for her.”
This past season, Dicks was third on the team in serving aces (36), digs (213) and receptions (245) and was fourth on the team with 157 kills.
“She is such a positive light on the team and always keeps everyone smiling and laughing,” said Lachelle Sikes. “She has continued to work so hard for so many years and I am so proud of all that she has accomplished.”
Rural state semifinalist Williston (11-11) placed two on the second team in senior outside hitter Berkley Brooks and senior middle blocker Kai Gowland.
Brooks led the Rural-District 7 champions in kills (170) and aces (46) and was second with 277 receptions.
“Berkley provided consistency in key moments this season as a six-rotation player with a high volleyball IQ,” said Williston coach Kayce Kavanaugh. “She also helped lead her team this season as the floor captain. Berkley is a competitor with a true passion for the game.”
Gowland had a team-best .302 hitting percentage and led Williston with 51 total blocks. She finished second behind Brooks with 160 kills and 39 aces.
“Kai contributed to Williston’s success this season tremendously,” Kavanaugh said. “She provided huge momentum for the team, getting hard-driven kills in pivotal moments. She always shows up with a great attitude, a desire to win, and is extremely coachable. Kai is also very level-headed and was a player girls looked to.”
2025 Bosshardt Realty Small School All Area Team
Rural-2A – 1st Team
OH – Lalyn Sikes, Branford (8th)
OH – Haley Janes, Oak Hall (SR)
MB – Jailyn Simmons, Union County (SR)
MB – Adriauna Combs, Branford (SR)
RS/Opp – Averleigh McFarlan, Dixie County (SR)
Setter – Mylie Fernandez, Branford (SR)
Libero – Bella Johns, Union County (SR)
Rural-2A – 2nd team
OH – Indi Knox, Union County (SR)
OH – Berkley Brooks, Williston (SR)
MB – Kai Gowland, Williston (SR)
MB – Mallory Waugh, Union County (JR)
RS/Opp – Anabella Dicks, Branford (JR)
Setter – Abigail Williams, Union County (SR)
Libero – Jaicee Brown, Dixie County (SR)
Honorable mentions
Bell – Dacy Graham (SR), Alayna Harvey (SR), Sierra Chatman (SR), Gracelynd Joiner-Solis (JR)
Branford – Mallory Blue (SR), Kaleah Tucker (JR), Ava Alcorn (SO)
Bronson – Hailey Clifton (SR), Canzada Russ (JR), Mackenna Dean (SO), Brystal Howard (SO)
Chiefland – Anna Jane Meeks (SR), Amber Campbell (SR), Riley Davies (SR), Nyasia Bivins (JR)
Countryside Christian – Aletta Mooring (SO), Ella Emerick (FR)
Dixie County (Cross City) – Riley Whitaker (SR), Maleigha Stalvey (SR), Kamille Barnes (JR)
Fort White – Kearra Carpenter (SR)
Hawthorne – Raegan Lee (SO)
Oak Hall – Lizzie Cannon (SR), Kendylle Bishop (JR), Nicolette Aulisio (JR), Kaitlin Allen (7th)
Saint Francis Catholic Academy – Gianna Morali (SR), Hailey Schoster (SR), Morgan Ritten (SR), Gabrielle Rosado (SR)
Trenton – Kayley Sloan (SR), Alexis Scarborough (SO), Hailee Sumlin (SO), Layla Smith (FR)
Union County (Lake Butler) – Morgan Smith (SO)
Williston – Amelia Smith (SR), Kailey Davis (SR), Estella Fugate (SO)