Mike Ridaught
There are only three weeks left in the regular season for high school volleyball.
Last year, five teams in the Mainstreet Daily News coverage area made the Class 1A state playoffs and this year there could be as many as six.
Currently, the highest ranked area team in Class 1A is Branford.
The Bucs (13-2), who are in 1A-District 6 with Bell, Union County (Lake Butler), Lafayette (Mayo), and Fort White, are ranked second in the latest FHSAA rankings, which are released every Tuesday.
“The girls have really come together as a team,” said Branford coach Mendy Sikes. “It’s exciting to see them in their victories, but it’s also just as exciting to see them fight through adversity and rise above their errors to succeed. I am so proud of them and their work ethic.”
They are No. 1 in Region 3 and ahead of Bell, which is ranked sixth in 1A.
“Every player on the team has a role in our season’s success, and we will continue to work hard the rest of our regular season,” Sikes said. “I look forward to districts and hopefully the State Series and seeing how far our hard work will take us.”
Branford and Bell don’t face each other during the regular season, but the Bucs and the ‘Dogs are battling for the top seed in the district tournament, which will be hosted by Branford beginning on Monday, Oct. 16.
“The season has been going pretty successful so far,” said Bell coach Drue Barry. “We are currently 11-5 and ranked second in our region but it is close with us, Union County and Mayo (Lafayette).”
The Bulldogs have had some good wins, including 2022 1A state semifinalist Williston on the road.
They play Dixie County (Cross City) (8-6) tonight at 7 p.m. and have a makeup game with Union County (7-8), which also made the 1A state semifinals last year, at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
“I believe that our district is one of the toughest around with Bell, Branford, Union County, and Mayo all pretty close in rankings,” Barry said. “One of the teams will be left out of the playoffs since the other district in the region will get one team in.”
Barry said that with sweeps of both Aucilla Christian (Monticello) and Hilliard, who edged them out of a postseason bid last year, he is hopeful that it will factor in when rankings come out at the end.
Williston, which is ranked No. 9 in 1A by the FHSAA, is currently the top team in Region 4.
The Red Devils (9-7), are the early favorites to win District 8, will play in a quad match tournament at Oak Hall this Saturday, followed by a trip to Bell on Monday.
It’s been a great season thus far for Oak Hall, which is ranked No. 4 in 2A (No. 1 in Region 1) and one spot behind Keswick Christian (St. Petersburg), which handed them their only loss of the season at the Keswick Invitational on Sept. 16.
The Lady Eagles are currently 14-1 heading into Tuesday night’s match at Eastside (6 p.m.).
“The early return of senior captain Pene Moser from a January ACL tear has been a game changer and has given us more depth and firepower than anticipated,” said Oak Hall coach Perry McDonald.
Last Tuesday they defeated local rival Buchholz for the first time in over 10 years. The Eagles, who were guests on “The Prep Zone” sports show earlier this month, outscored the Bobcats, 15-13, in the decisive fifth set.
Senior captain and right-side standout Ave Scorpio has led the Eagles’ balanced attack with a team high 126 kills and 14 blocks, while junior captain Cassidy McDonald has also had a stellar year accumulating 110 kills, 214 assists and a team-high 33 aces.
“We are really looking forward to continuing our growth in preparation for the playoffs as we host The Rock, Williston High and Class 2A No. 4 ranked rival St John Lutheran (Ocala) in a quad match this Saturday,” McDonald said.
Two-time defending 4A state champion Santa Fe (Alachua) is No. 8 in Class 4A and second behind Bishop Moore (Orlando) in Region 2.
The Raiders (13-7) have just five games remaining this season, beginning at 7 p.m. on Tuesday against 3A state semifinalist Trinity Catholic (Ocala).
That will be followed by a pair of games against 6A Buchholz, a home game next Tuesday against 2A No. 5 St. John Lutheran (Ocala) and the finale at Forest (Ocala) on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
Class 6A Gainesville High has won four in a row since a five-set loss at Ponte Vedra on Sept. 12.
Following the loss, GHS swept Santa Fe on Sept. 13. They also beat P.K. Yonge that Thursday, Sept. 14, and completed the sweep of the Blue Wave last Monday.
The Purple Hurricanes (9-4), who have the potential to be special this year, are currently ranked seventh in Class 6A and third in Region 1 behind Chiles (Tallahassee) and Gulf Breeze.
They will host 5A state semifinalist Vanguard (Ocala) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.