This past Saturday at Legacy Park Multipurpose Center in Alachua, area high school volleyball players got to suit up one last time at the high school level.
They even got to wear their school jersey for one final day.
In a matchup of All-Stars, the South, comprised of teams from Marion County, defeated the West 25-19, 21-25, 16-14 in the championship game of “The Prep Zone All-Star Showcase” presented by 399 Sports.
“We were blessed to coach these girls today,” said Forest (Ocala) coach Jimmy Collins, who was assisted by Forest assistant Angel Rivera. “Obviously, for a number of girls it was the first time we ever coached them but the girls kind of know each other, some of them not real well, so it was really neat to see how they bonded. We got off to a slow start (Saturday morning) in our first match but after that, we had great chemistry and played really, really well.”
Instead of playing on opposite sides of the net, players from West Port, Belleview, North Marion and St. John Lutheran united to win the championship.
“I came in here knowing four girls and now they’re all my friends,” said Forest S/L Ava Keuntjes, who has signed with Valdosta State University. “…we were a little bit hesitant but we played so good together. We were down five or six points in the third set and we just kept fighting and I’m so proud of all of these girls.”
Keuntjes was one of three Wildcats on the team, along with OH/DS Kailyn Howard (Santa Fe College) and MB/RS Alyssa Gomillion.
“I actually never thought I would put this jersey on again but I’m so happy, and I love my Forest family but I’m ready for my next four years (at Valdosta State),” Keuntjes said. “I committed there at the beginning of August and everyone’s been so supportive.”
The West, which was coached by Oak Hall’s Perry McDonald and assisted by Williston’s Kevin Tiller, defeated the North 25-21, 25-22 to advance.
“I thought this was an absolutely brilliant presentation by The Prep Zone to showcase our local talent and I thought it went over better than I could have possibly imagined, from the facilities, to the crowd, to the participation that we had, the geographic distribution and the kids that he had coming through made it even more special,” McDonald said. “It definitely exceeded my expectations and the kids that I got to work with I really had a lot of fun doing so.”
The showcase featured 41 players from 23 schools as far south as Marion County, as far north as Suwannee County, as far east as Keystone Heights, and as far west as the Tri-County area (Levy, Gilchrist and Dixie county).
A total of 12 players who participated made the Mainstreet Daily News All Area team, including six who made their small school team which was announced today.
“It’s definitely good to play with these people instead of playing against them,” said Newberry’s Hailey Tharp, who was an All Area selection. “That was a different experience, I liked that. I liked how we jelled really quickly with people that we’ve never played with, that was a fun experience too, and overall I got to play more defense (today) so that was really fun as well.”
It was also one last chance to put on the team uniform again and represent their school.
“Man, it was really fun,” Tharp said. “I missed it, I really did. Putting it on gave me a boost because I was really, really nervous to come out here but this (jersey) is comforting.”
The East team consisted of players from Bradford (Starke), Keystone Heights, Countryside Christian, P.K. Yonge, Buchholz and Gainesville High.
“It was very evenly spread out,” said GHS volleyball coach Chancie Vice, who coached the East team along with P.K. Yonge coach Enrique Wiseman. “It was good competition on both sides…and I had a lot of fun coaching girls that I’ve never met before from small schools. It’s really cool to see some of the talent that these smaller schools have because I’m used to the big school competition. I had a lot of fun. I hope we keep doing this.”
The East defeated the North, 26-24, in the first set of the consolation championship but lost 25-11 and 15-6 in the final two sets. They also lost in three sets to the South 21-25, 30-28, 11-15 in the semifinals.
“I thought it was really cool to see people from all of the different schools come together and I got to meet a lot of people that I hadn’t met for so it was fun to play with them,” said GHS MB/RS Charlotte Gravlee, a Columbia University signee. “I think a month ago I was taking off my jersey and thinking that was the last time that I’m ever going to do it, and I think especially having Coach Vice on the sideline, that was really cool because it was like one last hurrah of putting on this jersey.”
The North team, which consisted of players from Santa Fe (Alachua), Branford, Bell, Suwannee (Live Oak), Lafayette (Mayo), Columbia (Lake City), and Union County (Lake Butler) was coached by Eric Marshall of Santa Fe and he was assisted by his daughter, Ashton, who is a Santa Fe assistant.
This past year, Marshall led the two-time defending 4A state champion Raiders (21-9) to a regional final appearance before losing at Bishop Moore (Orlando) to end the season.
“Good players, good teams, great people to be around, great energy,” said Santa Fe MB/OH JoseLynn Sanjurjo, a Mercer University signee. “I had a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it knowing this would be my last game as a high schooler. I loved it. The last time I wore this jersey we had lost (region final) but knowing that I ended on a great ending, I guess you could say, was nice to know that I won my last game, not lost it.”
SATURDAY’S VOLLEYBALL PARTICIPANTS
SOUTH
Isabel Freeman RS/OH/DS St. John Lutheran (Ocala)
Kendall Smith DS/OH West Port (Ocala)
Ayanna Blocker OH/DS West Port (Ocala)
Dakota Krajewski DS/S Belleview
Natilee Collins L/DS Belleview
Kensey Thomas OH/MB/MH North Marion (Citra)
Kailyn Howard OH/DS Forest (Ocala)
Ava Keuntjes S/L Forest (Ocala)
Head coach: Jimmy Collins, Forest (Ocala)
Assistant coach: Angel Rivera, Forest (Ocala)
NORTH
Kennedy Walker OH/DS Branford
Jadyn Mosley OH/DS Branford
Autumn Jones OH/RS Columbia (Lake City)
Olivia Beavers L/DS Santa Fe (Alachua)
Jordan Czaplewski OH Sr Santa Fe (Alachua)
JoseLynn Sanjurjo MB/OH Santa Fe (Alachua)
Rachel Smith OH/MB Suwannee (Live Oak)
Jurney Crim L/DS Union County (Lake Butler)
Jordan Hendricks S/RS Union County (Lake Butler)
Anna Hutto S/DS Bell
Mae Collett OH/MH Bell
Emma Revels OH/RS Lafayette (Mayo)
Head coach Eric Marshall, Santa Fe (Alachua)
Assistant coach: Ashton Marshall, Santa Fe (Alachua)
EAST
Charlotte Gravlee MB/RS GHS
Emmy Rowland S/DS Buchholz (Gainesville)
Katie White OH/DS Buchholz (Gainesville)
Delaney Robertson L Countryside Christian (Gainesville)
Shelby Adams OH/RS Countryside Christian (Gainesville)
Autumn James OH P.K. Yonge (Gainesville)
Xyiah Moore DS/OH P.K. Yonge (Gainesville)
Rylie Blankenship L Bradford (Starke)
Taylor Marquart S Keystone Heights
Abbie Roach OH/RS Keystone Heights
Head coach: Chancie Vice, Gainesville High
Assistant coach: Enrique Wiseman (P.K. Yonge)
WEST
Grace Dola OH/MH/RS Williston
Morgan Geiger L/DS Williston
Claire Horne OH/DS Chiefland
Lauren Bailey S Chiefland
Pene Moser OH Oak Hall School (Gainesville)
Jaidyn Brown OH/RS/DS Dixie County (Cross City)
Paris Williams MB/RS Dixie County (Cross City)
Hanna Templeton S/DS Newberry
Hailey Tharp OH/DS Newberry
Sarah Watson MB/OH Newberry
Head coach: Perry McDonald, Oak Hall School (Gainesville)
Assistant coach: Kevin Tiller, Williston