Facing their biggest rival, Oviedo, the boys volleyball team had a chance to define their previously mixed season. The team was on a three-game winning streak, and Oviedo stood two spots ahead of them in the FHSAA rankings. With a 3-0 win on April 21 that took their streak from three to four, the team looks to move up in the standings before districts.
“It’s always nice to beat a rival, so it was a really exciting moment,” outside hitter Gavin Miller said. “We already beat them earlier in the season, so to do it again was awesome…They’re always a good team, so they played a good game.”
Contributing to their victory, Miller had 14 kills and 14 digs, setter Caden Houston had 23 assists, middle blocker Kellen Woolm had eight kills, and setter Seth Davis had eight digs and 13 assists.
In addition to the game itself, the players celebrated their senior night, honoring the senior players with a team meal, and lining the wall behind the court with posters.
“It was a great win,” Davis said. “And it felt good to beat Oviedo with all of our seniors playing.”
In the first set, the team took the lead early on and stayed ahead of Oviedo the entire time, only tying at one point, and winning 25-19. The team had even more control in set two, winning 25-15. Oviedo won the first few points in the third set, but Hagerty tied them 11-11, and then scored in the next three consecutive points, taking back the lead and winning 25-18.
Despite their eventual win, tensions ran high, especially during the brief period when Oviedo was ahead.
“[I felt] fear that we were going to lose,” Miller said. “At times [the game] got off to slow starts where we got behind and down on ourselves, but we did bring it back.”
Players look forward to the championships as their season comes to an end. They will play in the district tournament next week, with their semi-finals against Lake Mary taking place April 29. Should they win that game, they will advance into the district championships, then the regional championships.
The season so far has not come without its difficulties. Until recently, the team had been dealing with quite a few changes, with Miller getting injured and a few of the players switching positions and learning to work with one another.
“I had to switch positions from last season to fill what the team needed, so it was a tough start,” Davis said. “But now things are going great. I’ve met a lot of personal goals for my final year.”
With an overall record of 13-10 for this year, the future looks promising for boys volleyball.
“I’m excited [for the future],” Miller said. “A lot of our underclassmen are really stepping up and playing. We have some sophomores that are starting that are really showing out when they need to be.”
