The first step of Ponte Vedra's postseason quest for a fourth state volleyball championship came down to a balancing act.
"Today, it was a matter of maintaining that balance between having confidence and not missing so many serves, but also keeping the pressure on [Leon] so they weren't able to run the plays," Ponte Vedra coach Tyler Walker said.
Control plus aggression. A good combination.
The top-seeded Sharks kept that balance just right, cruising to a 25-16, 25-15, 25-17 sweep of Tallahassee Leon (17-11) in the Florida High School Athletic Association Region 1-5A volleyball first round on Oct. 21.
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The down-the-middle power of Wofford commit Lily Keeley and the outside attacks from Edie Joseph and Vivienne Woodbury set the tone for the Sharks (18-4), winners of their last five. Ponte Vedra led each set nearly from the start, capping the first two on Woodbury kills and ending the third on a Lions service error.
The Sharks next meet Middleburg (17-11), which rolled to a 25-15, 25-12, 26-24 sweep against Gulf Breeze (19-5). The Broncos will travel to Ponte Vedra for the regional semis on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Niceville (22-4) ended the playoff run for Gateway Conference champion Fletcher, 19-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-17. The Senators finish their season at 18-9.
OPEN DIVISION
Fighting back against the state's third-ranked team, Beachside won Northeast Florida's first-ever match in an FHSAA Open Division in any sport, defeating host Clearwater Calvary Christian 25-18, 25-16, 12-25, 25-27, 15-11.
Nina Simanic had 23 kills, Ana Simanic provided 21 assists, Mollie VanDeusen had a double-double (14 kills, 20 assists) and Isabella Taveras Seda made 20 digs as the Barracudas (25-3) took down Calvary Christian (27-2), which was ranked 17th in the nation by MaxPreps.
The new Open Division includes the state's eight leading teams as rated in the FHSAA's formula after district tournaments, split into two round-robin groups.
Beachside, seeded sixth, next travels to Tampa Plant at 12 p.m. Saturday.
REGION 1-4A
Lillie Eason blasted 17 kills and Lauren Brosky added 13 as No. 1 seed Fleming Island swept its playoff opener 25-10, 25-17, 25-15 against visiting Wakulla (14-11).
Shelby Jackson had 31 assists and Addison Blom led with 12 digs for the Golden Eagles (23-3), riding a winning streak of 12 matches.
Fleming Island next plays at home Saturday against Bishop Kenny (14-15), which extended its 30-year streak of first-round playoff victories 25-12, 25-23, 25-14 at Yulee. The Hornets finish at 16-8.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: PV, Middleburg set up volleyball rematch, historic win for Beachside
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