Kowboys Rally For District Crown
By: J. Daniel Pearson
Building a 2-1 lead, second-seeded Gateway had Osceola on the ropes before the Kowboys escaped for a 25-21, 17-25, 20-25, 25-19, 15-8 victory to claim the 5A, District 6 volleyball championship on Thursday night.
The win, Osceola eighth in a row, lifted the Kowboys to 22-6 on the season and most likely insured them the top seed when the 6A, Region 2 Tournament begins next week. Gateway (20-3) should receive one of four “at-large” regional berths when the field is announced.
“It was a really big win for us, because we felt the number one seed for regionals was on the line,” Osceola coach Carrie Palmi said. “If it plays out that way, we will have home court advantage through regionals.”
Osceola appeared in be in control early in the match. The Kowboys jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the first set and led by as many as seven. A later Gateway rally cut the lead to 21-19, but the Kowboys – behind senior Brooklyn Sippio’s nine kills – closed out the set on a 4-2 run.
But sloppy ball handling and several hitting errors – combined by the solid play of the Panthers – saw Osceola drop the next two sets, 25-17 and 25-20. Freshman Anaya Reyes led the Panthers with six kills and an ace in the two games.
“We’re a relatively inexperienced team with only one returning starter and I think that hurt us. Obviously, it was disappointing to go down two sets to one, but give Gateway the credit, they played a lot cleaner than we did.”
Osceola would get on track in the fourth game. The Kowboys built a 15-5 lead and never looked back as freshman Maddy Sippio had seven kills and Brooklyn added four kills and two aces.
The Kowboys would ride that momentum into the final set. Leah Nieves had two kills and three aces, Maddy Sippio added three kills as Osceola dominated the set. Nieves third ace of the set made it an 8-2 game and Maddy’s third kill of the set gave Osceola a near insurmountable 11-5 advantage.
“When you get to the ‘Race to 15’ in a fifth set, it’s imperative you start off strong because there’s little time to catch up if you fall behind. We rode the momentum of the fourth set into the fifth and that was the difference,” Palmi added.
For the match, Brooklyn Sippio had 24 kills, 2 blocks at the net for points and an ace. Maddy Sippio added 18 kills and five aces; and Nieves had 17 kills and six aces.
Reyes led Gateway with 15 kills and an ace. Sofia Brillon Collazo had seven kills and an ace; while Gabriella Alvarez Herrera added six kills and four aces.
In other district action on Thursday night, St. Cloud lost heart-breaking five-set decision to top-seeded Freedom, 17-25, 25-20, 25-21, 19-25, 25-13.
District Volleyball Schedule
Quarter Finals, 6A, District 7
St. Cloud def. Poinciana, 3-0 (25-16, 25-14, 25-17)
Tohopekaliga def. Celebration, 3-1 (25-21, 21-25, 25-14, 25-10)
Cypress Creek def, Harmony, 3-1 (25-11, 25-23, 23-25, 30-28)
Freedom (Bye)
Semifinals
St. Cloud def. Tohopekaliga, 3-1 (23-25, 25-11, 25-10, 25-17)
Freedom def. Cypress Creek, 3-0 (25-10, 25-11, 25-15)
Finals
Freedom def. St. Cloud, 3-2 (17-25, 25-20, 25-21, 19-25, 25-13)
5A, District 6
Quarterfinals
Osceola def. Lake Weir, 3-0 (25-7, 25-7, 25-14)
Lake Buena Vista def. South Lake, 3-1 (25-17, 19-25, 25-23, 25-22)
Gateway def. South Marion, 3-0 (25-9, 25-10, 25-19)
Lake Minneola def. Oak Ridge, 3-0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-15)
Semifinals
Osceola def. Lake Buena Vista, 3-0 (25-12, 25-9, 25-16)
Gateway def. Lake Minneola, 3-2 (27-25, 19-25, 25-21, 25-27, 15-9)
Championship
Osceola def. Gateway, 3-2 (25-21, 17-25, 20-25, 25-19, 15-8)
3A, District 6
Lake Highland Prep def. Liberty, 3-0 (25-2, 25-2, 25-6)
Nova Lakes def. Four Corners, 3-0 (25-10, 25-10, 25-17)
Atlantic def. Discovery, 3-0 (25-6, 25-11, 25-21)
Montverde Academy def. Tenoroc, 3-0 (25-9, 25-9, 25-5)
Semifinals
Lake Highland Prep def. Nova Lakes,3-0 (25-11, 25-11, 25-13)
Montverde Academy def. Atlantic, 3-0 (25-9,25-20, 25-14)
Finals
Monteverde Academy def. Lake Highland Prep, 3-1 (25-19, 25-15, 22-25, 25-13)
