Chiles, Florida High Win Regional Matches, Headed to State Finals

The Chiles Timberwolves and the Florida High Seminoles volleyball teams won their regional championship matches and are headed to the FHSAA State Championships which will be held Monday-Saturday, November 4-9, at the Polk State College – Winter Haven Health Center.

Timberwolves Win Consecutive Regional Finals

The number one 5A ranked Chiles Timberwolves (22-1) were matched up against the Beachside (Jacksonville) Barracuddas in the FHSAA 5A Regional Finals on Wednesday night at the Chiles gym. The Barracuddas (19-3) came into the contest ranked number two. The Timberwolves came away with a hard fought 4-set victory, winning 3-1, with set scores of 29-27, 25-15, 25-27, and 25-17.

The Timberwolves attack was led by a trio of hitters that included Kate Stewart (22 kills), Eva Goodson (14 kills) and Lindsay Smith (10 kills). Middle Logan Abernathy added six kills. Setter Natalie Gibson had 38 assists on 99 attempts.

The Timberwolves defense was anchored upfront by Jorja Williams (6 blocks), Abernathy (4 blocks) and Stewart (4 blocks). The back line defenders featured notable performances from Holly Sanders (13 digs) and Maddie Joiner (11 digs). From the service line, Smith delivered three aces while Aubrey Justin served up three winners.

The win sends the Timberwolves to their second consecutive state championship. Last year, the team came up short with a semi-final loss to Viera (Melbourne).

Florida High Seminoles Get Road Victory

The 12th ranked 3A Seminoles (18-8) faced the North Bay Haven Academy (Panama City) Buccaneers in the FHSAA 3A Regional Finals on Tuesday night. The Buccaneers came into the contest with a record of 22-3. The Seminoles came away with a 4-set road victory, winning 3-1 with set scores of 26-24, 25-14, 13-25, and 26-24.

The Seminoles attack was led by Hunter Cook with 17 kills. Leah Crosby added seven kills and Addison Mayernick contributed six kills. Mayernick also had five service aces.

At the net, Riley Kraft had six blocks while Olivia Woods contributed four blocks.

The Seminoles defense was led by Gaby Kellog who had 24 digs. Cook and Woods added 10 digs each.