The Oak Hall School volleyball team lost in five sets at Saint Francis Catholic Academy on Sept. 2 before evening the series with a 3-0 win at home on Senior Night on Oct. 9.
The two small school rivals met again on Thursday night at Oak Hall in a rubber match to decide the FHSAA Class 2A-District 1 title.
It was designated a “white out” for the home crowd, but there was also plenty of blue in the stands who watched the host and No. 2 seed Eagles prevail against the No. 4 seed Wolves in four sets, 25-11, 25-22, 23-25, 25-19, to win their fifth straight district title.
“It feels really, really good,” said Oak Hall assistant coach Gianna Hooper, who was filling in for head coach Perry McDonald, who was at a reunion in Virginia. “It feels good to have this comeback that we’ve had all season and have this mantra to just have fun all season, and then towards the end of it, been like, ‘okay, maybe we can be district champs,’ and to add that to our list of goals, and then to check that off. I mean, that’s been our biggest goal of the season is to have fun and win a district championship, and so I’m very, very proud of them.”
McDonald came in midseason when they were 4-10 and helped them turn around the season by finishing 12-11, followed by a 3-1 win against No. 3 seed Destin in Tuesday’s semifinals.
He told his team he would return on Monday with hopes of coaching them in the postseason.
The Eagles (14-11) carried the momentum that they had created under McDonald into Thursday night’s match by breaking a 1-1 tie with an 8-0 run in the first set thanks to the play of junior Kendylle Bishop, who finished the night with 24 kills and two blocks and only one error.
“I just wanted to give my best to the team, knowing we could accomplish this, and I just gave it my all, knowing Perry wasn’t here,” Bishop said. “I just wanted to prove something for him.”
Senior Haley Janes, who celebrated her 18th birthday after the victory, had the final two kills of the first set for a 25-11 win.
“I really wanted to just prove something about Perry coming back,” Janes said. “I think a lot of us were like really hurt and damaged at the beginning of the season, and I think we’ve definitely turned around everything since then.”
The Wolves (11-6), who upset No. 1 seed Maclay (Tallahassee) on the road in Tuesday’s semifinals, settled in and led 12-9 in the second set before OHS went on a 5-0 run, which included a couple of aces by junior Nicolette Aulisio (7 aces, 27 assists). Her four service points and another kill by Bishop led to a 14-12 advantage.
An ace by Wolves’ senior Tabitha Billings (4 aces) tied it at 18 apiece and a kill by senior Hailey Schoster (team-high 9 kills) gave the visitors the lead at 20-19, forcing the Eagles to call a timeout.
However, Oak Hall scored six of the next eight points, including a block by Bishop, to secure a 25-22 win.
The Eagles appeared to be headed for a sweep when the Wolves were aided by a little luck, or possibly fate.
Following a kill by Schoster to get within one at 23-22, the Eagles appeared to have a kill, which would have put them at match point.
However, freshman Alyssa Pappas (13 digs, 2 assists) saved it by kicking it over the net to tie the match at 23-all.
“Yeah, it’s her go-to, I don’t know how she does it,” said first-year Saint Francis Catholic Academy coach Breona Fung. “I don’t know how she hasn’t torn a muscle in her leg, honestly. But if it works, it works, I guess.”
Following a net violation to give Saint Francis Catholic a 24-23 lead, senior Gianna Morali (8 kills, 18 digs) served, and it clipped the net and rolled over to give the Wolves a 25-23 win.
“Heart stopper,” Fung said. “They’re out here giving me anxiety, but yeah, that was a huge set to win and keep our chances alive. Just working really hard, one to get here, but two to fight back from that first set and second set loss.”
The fourth set featured 11 ties, but Janes (16 kills, 1 error) tied the match for a final time at 12-12 and proceeded to have three straight kills for a 14-12 advantage, and the Eagles never trailed again.
Seventh grader Kaitlin Allen added 24 assists and five kills, senior Lizzie Cannon had eight kills and two aces, and junior Paige Sherrod finished with six kills for Oak Hall.
Their district title clinched a spot in Tuesday’s FHSAA regional quarterfinal, while Saint Francis Catholic Academy will find out on Saturday if they earned an at-large bid.
“There’s always been talent at this school,” Fung said. “They’ve just needed some positivity…hopefully this is a stepping stone to more things coming ahead in the future.”
2025 FHSAA Volleyball District Championships
Area teams in bold
Thursday, Oct. 16
Rural-District 6 – at Union County (Lake Butler)
1 Branford 3, 3 Union County (Lake Butler) 1 – 25-13, 22-25, 25-17, 25-18
Rural-District 7 – at Williston
1 Williston 3, 3 Trenton 1 – 25-20,21-25, 25-21, 25-19
Class 2A-District 1 – at Oak Hall School
2 Oak Hall 3, 4 Saint Francis Catholic Academy 1 – 25-11, 25-22, 23-25, 25-19
Class 3A-District 5 – at Newberry
1 Newberry 3, 2 Keystone Heights 0 – 25-22, 25-14, 25-23
Class 4A-District 2 – at Wakulla (Crawfordville)
1 Wakulla (Crawfordville) 3, 2 Suwannee (Live Oak) 1 – 25-19, 20-25,28-26, 25-16
Class 4A-District 5 – at Crystal River
1 Santa Fe (Alachua) 3, 2 Crystal River 0 – 25-23, 25-6, 25-18
Class 5A-District 5 – at Lecanto
1 Gainesville 3, 2 Lecanto 0 – 25-22, 25-17, 25-12
Class 6A-District 2 – at Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine)
1 Buchholz 3, 2 Fletcher (Neptune Beach) 1 – 25-18, 23-25, 25-21, 25-20
