By: J. Daniel Pearson
Positively Osceola
Led by a remarkable group of senior players, Osceola’s volleyball team capped a sensational 2025 season last week with a 24-5 record and another trip to the FHSAA Final Four, where they dropped a close five-set match to Plant in the semifinals.
Three of those seniors — Cate Palmi, Jordin Southall and Sophie Spivey — will now continue their careers at the highest level – as they inked Division-1 scholarship papers in a Wednesday afternoon ceremony at Kowboys Gym.
“This was a remarkable class,” head coach Carrie Palmi said. “They accomplished so much during their careers here and to have three of them sign division one scholarships is an indication of how special they were.”
Cate Palmi, who is expected to be named OBC Player of the Year for a fourth consecutive season, finishes her career as the Lady Kowboys and region’s all-time kills leader with 2,021. Her career hitting percentage was .361 (think a .300 career batting average as being great) and recorded 283 aces. Palmi was also an outstanding defender with 1083 career digs; while only making 83 errors in 1350 service receptions. Her 2025 season included 478 kills on 916 attempts (52.2%) with an excellent .371 hitting percentage with just 138 attack errors.
She will play her college volleyball at the University of South Florida.
A member of the American Athletic Conference, the Bulls are one of the top teams in the conference this season – sporting an 11-3 record in conference and 15-10 overall while playing a national competitive schedule that included SEC powers Tennessee and Florida.
“I fell in love with the program on my first visit,” Cate said of her decision to attend USF. “The energy surrounding the team and coaching staff was amazing.” She added that playing at that level would be a whole new ball game. “There’s no question it will be a challenge. Spots are not given they are earned,” she said. “My only goal is to work as hard as I possibly can to get better and hopefully compete for playing time in my first season.”
Playing opposite of Palmi was Jordin Southall, who will continue her career at Vanderbilt. She had 290 kills this season and hit .302. Southall transferred to Osceola for her sophomore year and finishes her Lady Kowboys’ career 1095 kills and a ,398 hitting percentage. She had 137 aces with Osceola, including 51 this past season.
A member of the powerful SEC, Vanderbilt dropped its volleyball program in 1980 but revitalized it in 2020. Southall said that absolutely factored into her decision to sign with the Commodores. “They are trying to build something special and become an elite team in the one of the toughest conferences in the country,” Southall said. “I wanted to be a part of that challenge.” She added that the school’s academic excellence played a role in the decision. “Eventually everyone’s playing career ends and that’s when you need something to fall back on. Vanderbilt’s reputation for academics certainly played a role in picking that school,” Southall, who expects to pursue a degree in the medical field added.
Technically a non-starter but a player who saw considerable playing time on front line rotations, Spivey was a tremendous addition to the Osceola line-up – finishing third on the team in kills (154), while also recording a hit percentage of .315. A four-year contributor, Spivey finishes with 718 kills and a .297 career hitting percentage.
She will attend the University of South Carolina-Upstate, a member of the Big South Conference. “Whenever I first set foot on campus, I knew it was right for me,” Spivey said of the decision. I really loved the coaches, the team members and the environment. I really looking forward to the step up in competition and challenges it will bring.”
Overall, these three seniors were mainly responsible for Osceola’s most successful four-year period in volleyball. Their resume included four OBC and District titles, three regional championships, 3 appearances in the State Final Four and an overall record of 99-22. Almost every loss came to either ranked state teams or national powers in invitationals.
“Last week’s loss was really tough to take because we had beaten Plant earlier this season and took eventual champion Winter Park to five sets on the road, where we lost the final game by just two points, so I knew we had a championship level team,” Carrie Palmi added. “As a coach though, you realize that days like today are way more important than any ring or trophy. These athletes are going to have an opportunity to continue playing at the highest level, while pursuing a college degree. I’m just so proud of these athletes and the entire team.”
