Prep volleyball: Barron Collier loses to Choctawhatchee in four sets in 7A title match
JACKSONVILLE — The surreal journey of the Barron Collier High School volleyball team ended only two sets shy of capping a difficult season with an against-the-odds state title.
Perhaps because the Cougars had to endure the suspension of their head coach and go on a run with an interim coach that ended in the state final, it made falling just shy all the more difficult to digest Saturday afternoon.
Barron lost a pivotal, emotional third set that opened the way for Fort Walton Beach-Choctawhatchee to claim the Class 7A state championship with a 3-1 victory (25-20, 23-25, 27-25, 25-21) at UNF Arena.
Prep volleyball: Barron Collier's six seniors can cap trying season with state title
“I know Lexie (Hamilton) is trying to play in college, but this is my last game,” said senior Emma Drew, who led her team with 11 kills. “Obviously, it didn’t go as I hoped. But I’m really proud at how much everyone has come together with all we’ve been through this season — and we’ve been through a lot. We came together despite all the odds stacked against us.”
The odds mounted in the third set. After each side took a set apiece to open the match, the Indians (23-2) started the third with a 16-9 lead. But the Cougars (16-7) pushed back, tied the set and then surged ahead with freshman Skylar English, who had four kills among Barron’s final seven points in the third.
When Choctaw subbed out Kassandra Fairly, the Indians’ most devastating hitter, interim coach Kaitlyn Ziegelmaier hoped her team could exploit the opportunity.
But with the set tied at 23, a Choctaw attempt was originally ruled to have gone out of bounds. Another official stepped in to say correctly that it was touched by the Cougars, giving the Indians the point. Kills by English forced a pair of ties, but the Choctaws’ Melia Linder polished off the set with consecutive kills.
“I think we realized how bad we wanted to win,” said Hamilton, who had a match-best 36 digs. “We pushed ahead, but I think we got too excited in the third set and gave it away.”
The Indians built another 16-9 lead in the fourth set, but Barron rallied to within 20-19. At that stage, Fairly put the match away with a block and two of her contest-high 23 kills.
That ended Barron’s improbable run. The Cougars lost coach Robert Ritchie to suspension during a district investigation for an unspecified infraction. Ziegelmaier, a volunteer assistant who was playing at Lely only two years ago, took over right before the district tournament, winning six in a row to reach the finals.
“We had our trials,” said Ziegelmaier, only two years older than her seniors. “I’m really thankful the girls accepted me as a head coach. They taught me a lot about how to be a better player, being a better coach, being a better teammate.
“This is probably the most team-oriented group of girls who care about each other, on and off the court, so this team has been really great for me to experience.”
Prep volleyball: First Baptist falls to Christ's Church in 3A title match
Ziegelmaier came close to coaching the second Collier County team to win the state title -- Seacrest won a 2A title in 2014. But Barron fell behind 16-7 in the opening set as both teams adjusted to several double-hit calls by the referees. While an ace by Jordan Lawhon rallied the Cougars and cut the edge to four, the Indians were able to hold on.
The Cougars almost squandered a six-point lead in the second set, with Choctaw rallying from an 18-12 deficit to tie at 19. But Drew racked up three kills down the stretch and English two, including the set-clincher.
It just wasn’t quite enough.
“I’m proud of how we worked and how we stepped up and took control despite all the adversity,” Hamilton said. “It was an amazing experience to come up here, perform and leave it all out there.”
Prep Volleyball
State championship
at UNF, Jacksonville
Class 3A
Thursday
Jacksonville-Christ's Church Academy 3, First Baptist 1
Class 7A
Saturday
Choctawhatchee 3, Barron Collier 1