WINTER HAVEN – Stop rubbing your eyes, it happened.
No. 2 Oviedo overcame an 0-2 deficit to win the FHSAA Class 6A girls volleyball state championship Saturday, turning back two-time defending state champion and top-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas at Polk State College.
After dropping the first two sets 13-25, 17-25, the Lions came back and swept the next three, 25-21, 25-17 and 15-12, to deliver the third state title in the program’s history, all under the direction of head coach Jennifer Darty.
“The way they came in here and played with heart and played selfless, played tough, played discipline and played with love and stayed true to each other is what won that match for us,” Darty said. “I could not be more proud of my kids.”
It was Oviedo’s sixth state title game, and the Lions won state championships in 2018 and 2013.
“We stayed pretty consistent and stayed level-headed,” Darty said. “Just entering the gym, and them getting the first few points as a two-time state championship team, kind of rattled us a little bit.
“We just were feeling the atmosphere and trying to get comfortable and once we did, there was no looking back,” Darty continued. “Once we were able to clear our eyes out a little bit and focus a little more, we did a wonderful job of executing.”
Offensively, Oviedo (25-7) was led by junior Eva Woolm with 21 kills and 18 digs, and junior Autumn Westfall added 11 kills and two digs. Senior Keely Starnes pitched in nine kills and two digs. Junior Maddie Mehring had seven kills, four passes and one dig.
Oviedo senior Avery Stephens posted an incredible 34 digs while dishing out 25 passes, and junior Delaney Sloane finished with nine digs, four passes and one kill.
“After being down two sets, we just kind of went into the huddle and were like, ‘Let’s just have some fun,’” Stephens said. “I think we just had confidence and no one truly gave up.
“Our whole thing was to play with our heart on our sleeve. We just had so much love, and we wanted this more than anyone.”
Oviedo rolled into the state title game riding an eight-game winning streak, with its most recent setback coming against Hagerty on Oct. 2.
“Once we started gaining momentum, and when we gain momentum, in general, we usually stay with that momentum and run away with it. And that’s just what we did,” Sloane said. “Everything from inside of us we put out on that court. In the huddle, we were talking about win or lose, the season is over, so give whatever we have.”
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) coach Lisa Zielinski collected her 943nd win in the semifinal, tops in the state. She has rolled up 916 wins, eight state championships and four state runner-up finishes, but it was the first time St. Thomas (27-5) lost a title game after winning the first two sets.
“I couldn’t be more proud of my kids,” Darty said. “This group has been determined for the last month of the season. We’ve had a few ups and downs. But that’s the beauty of a season and the journey of a team.”
