STATE CHAMPS: Chiles Timberwolves End Historic Season with Dominating Win

The Chiles Timberwolves girls’ volleyball team capped off a historical season with a dominating performance in the FHSAA 5A State Championship final by defeating the Lourdes Academy (Miami) Bobcats. The Timberwolves won the best of five set match 25-15, 25-7, & 25-8 on Saturday, November 9th. The win moved the Timberwolves to 25-1, the best record in school history.

On Thursday the Timberwolves defeated Innovation High School (Orlando) in three sets, 25-15, 25-12 & 25-13 to reach the finals. The state championships were held in Winter Haven, Florida on the campus of Polk State College.

The Final

After the semi-final victory over Innovation, the ‘Wolves turned their attention to the state championship match which was the last obstacle between them and history. The dominating season – losing only seven sets – propelled Chiles to the state championship tournament as the favorite which set high expectations for the team which lost in the semi-final one year ago.

During their off day (Friday,) the Timberwolves practiced at a local high school gym and reviewed game film ahead of the final.

Lourdes came into the tournament as the number two seed and had an impressive 3-set victory (25-13, 25-7, 25-11) over Port Charlotte in the semi-final. However, after a 25-21 opening set, the Timberwolves cruised to victory in the second set 25-7 and closed out the match 25-16.

“They were a tough team, and they had so many hitters,” Lourdes head coach Pedro Penate said. “It was tough. We just tried to slow them down but we just didn’t execute tonight.”

The hitters were led by senior Kate Stewart who had 19 kills and juniors Eva Goodson and Lindsay Smith who added 10 kills each. Chiles junior setter Natalie Gibson had 34 assists.

The defense was led by Goodson who had a team high 9 digs. Stewart and Smith added 6 digs while senior libero Holly Sanders and Gibson each had 5 digs.

“They took care of business,” head coach Kaitlin Jahn said. “You could tell they wanted to be there. You could tell they had no doubt. It was their time to win a state championship and that’s how they played.”

The Season

Coming into the 2024 season, the Timberwolves were focused on a return trip to the state championship.

“From day one, this was the goal. We’ve talked about it every day since July 28th,” said Chiles head coach Kaitlin Jahn.

After a 3-0 start, Chiles hit the road to face the Gulf Breeze Dolphins who were the top ranked 6A team in Florida. However, the Timberwolves were without outside hitter Lindsay Smith – who was injured in an earlier game – and faced a talented Gulf Breeze team supported by an enthusiastic home crowd. Chiles dropped the match in three sets, 25-20, 25-23, & 25-20.

It would be the last time the Timberwolves would lose.

The next challenge on their schedule was the defending 5A State Champions, the Middleburg Bronco’s. The teams faced off in Tallahassee on September 7 and the Timberwolves were ready. Stewart and Goodson led the team with 21 & 19 kills, respectively, and the front row added 11 blocks.

With an 8-1 record, the Timberwolves headed to Jacksonville to play three matches in two days. Two of the teams included the highly ranked 4A Bishop Kenney Crusaders and the 5A Ponte Vedra Sharks. The Wolves swept the three matches – winning each match in three sets, but more importantly, during the trip Smith got healthy and worked herself back in the line-up.

Ahead of the playoffs, one more challenge remained on the schedule – a rematch with the Gulf Breeze Dolphins in Tallahassee. The Dolphins came into the game undefeated and were the state’s top ranked 6A team. The Timberwolves played arguably their best game of the season and won a four-set match with scores of 25-13, 23-25, 25-18, & 25-19.

The trio of Stewart (22), Goodson (13), and Smith (11) combined for 46 kills. And middles Logan Abernathy (4) and Jorja Williams (5) combined for 9 blocks.

After rolling through the playoffs, a trip to the state championship was at stake in the regional final in Tallahassee against the upstart Beachside Barracudas. The Barracudas lost in semi-finals of the regional tournament last year and were an improved team featuring one of the state’s best outside hitters – Adriana Jeanpierre. Jeanpierre recorded 27 kills, but it was not enough.

The Timberwolves won in four sets 29-27, 25-15, 25-27, & 25-17 with outstanding performances in all phases of the game. Stewart (22), Goodson (14), and Smith (10) combined for 46 kills, and the middles, Williams (6) and Abernathy (4) combined for 10 blocks. The defense added 59 digs from five players including Goodson (14), Sanders (13), Stewart (13), Maddie Joyner (11) and Gibson (8).

The win capped an undefeated home season and sealed a trip to the state championships.