Branford volleyball coach Mendy Sikes definitely didn’t think her team quit fighting in their first appearance in the Class 1A state championship game.
The Buccaneers came up just a few agonizing points short.
Branford won the first set and had chances to take the third and fourth sets, but Baker got the big points when they needed to win the state championship game 21-25, 25-15, 25-23, and 28-26 on Tuesday at Polk State College in Winter Haven.
“This team (Branford) never quit. I was proud of the effort,” Sikes said. “We pushed and we fought the entire match. There were just some balls that fell the wrong way and you can’t win that way.”
Branford, who swept Newberry 3-0 in Monday’s state semifinal, saw a 14-game winning streak come to an end as the Bucs finished the season 25-5.
The Bucs fell behind by as many as five points in the opening set, with Baker leading 14-9 at one point, but then went on a 9-0 run to lead 18-14. Baker (18-11) got back to within a point at 22-21, before Branford scored the next three points to take the set.
The Gators again jumped to a quick start in the second set, leading 7-1, but this time Baker never trailed, and the closest Branford could get was three points at 13-10.
The third set was more of the same. Baker went ahead 10-4 but Branford scored the next six points to tie the match at 10-10. From there the two teams went back and forth with plenty of lead changes before the Gators finally grabbed the 25-23 win.
Branford got off to a better start in the fourth set and led by five points on two occasions, the last time at 23-18, But Baker fought back and eventually clinched the state title on their second match point.
Seniors Kennedy Walker and Jadyn Mosley led Branford with 10 kills apiece. Erika Rioux added 38 digs.
Branford’s softball team played for the state title in May, also finishing as a runner-up.
“The 2019 (final four) team set the standard that this team has followed. This team had a goal when we got to preseason camp in July and that was to make it here to the championship game,” Sikes said