WINTER HAVEN – Chalk another one up for Stephanie Gibson.
The legendary Winter Park girls volleyball coach picked up her 901st career win on Thursday as the Wildcats shut out Doral Academy in three sets 25-10, 25-14 and 25-12 in a FHSAA Class 7A state semifinal at Polk State College.
The win vaulted Winter Park (30-1) into the 7A state title game against a familiar foe, perennial power Tampa Plant (19-8), Saturday at 1 p.m. The Wildcats will be vying for their sixth state title under Gibson and their second in a row. The Panthers pulled out a 3-2 semifinal win against the second Orlando area team in the final four, Kissimmee Osceola.
Winter Park beat 12-time state champ Plant 3-0 in September and is 3-0 against the Panthers since losing a 2023 state final against the Tampa team. The two powers also met in a 2009 state final, with Plant winning.
“Plant is an incredible program,” said Gibson, now in her 26th season with the Wildcats. “Their team is very young and they have done nothing but gotten better every single match. They probably played the toughest schedule in the state and all of that put them in this position.”
Winter Park was led Thursday by junior outside hitter Isabell Incinelli with 12 kills, 2 aces and 5 digs. Senior outside hitter Amelia Mancino added 8 kills with 2 digs.
“I thought our kids came out prepared,” said Gibson, now in her 26th season at Winter Park. “I thought they executed very well. I think Sophia Stallworth was on fire, just quietly. I think in all phases of the game we were performing well.”
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Incinelli and Mancino were among Winter Park’s veteran who were on the state title team last year and the 2023 runner-up team.
“Right after winning the state title last year, I knew I wanted to do it again, especially with these girls. We have so much fun,” Incinelli said. “I am just excited for the whole season. “I think it will be a pretty good game (Saturday). We played them early in the season and it was really tight, really fun and really competitive. We just need to play our game and stick together.”
Palmi builds on record
Osceola took Plant to the brink before losing 21-25, 22-25, 25-16, 22-25, 15-10. The Kowboys were oh so close to reaching a final for the first time. They also lost semifinals in 2015, 2022 and last year in a five-setter against Winter Park.
“We played (Plant) before and beat them in four sets, so we didn’t want to switch anything with rotations,” said Osceola coach Carrie Palmi. “So we continued on with the same lineup and rotation and just fell apart in the second set. We ran out of timeouts and couldn’t get our composure back.”
Trailing 2-1, Osceola battled back valiantly and won the fourth set after breaking a 21-21 tie. The Kowboys found a spark and took four of the next five points.
“The fourth set is where I was most proud of my team because we were down and I called my last time out and said, ‘This is up to you guys,’” said Palmi, who is in her 21st season at Osceola.
Osceola won the first set in thrilling fashion after senior standout Cate Palmi, the coach’s daughter, saved a shot headed toward the back wall of the gym. She bumped the ball back into play and the Kowboys won the point and eventually that game.
“When your senior season is on the line you have to go for everything,” said Cate, a three-year All-Area player sure to be on that list again this year. The USF commit had 26 kills along with 16 digs according to FHSAA statisticians. That boosted her Orlando-area record to 2,017 career kills.
Cate is believed to be the third Florida girl to hit the 2,000 kill mark — and the first to do it in just four seasons.
Mari King, now playing college volleyball for Marquette, amassed 2,299 kills in a seven-year varsity career (2018-2024) that included sixth and seventh grade for Jacksonville Trinity Christian.
Breanah Rives, now playing for Missouri State, totaled 2,130 kills in a six-year career that included sixth and seventh grade varsity play for First Baptist of Naples and grades 9-12 at Seacrest Country Day.
Osceola won 99 matches in Palmi’s four seasons.
“I am just super proud of the whole team and how they played. They were all such a close team so it just hurts more,” Cate said. “Me and mom kind of have the same personality, we are both kind of hard headed. But it was a super-special experience playing for her and something I am going to miss.”
Two other Osceola seniors, Jordin Southall (19 kills, 21 digs) and Sophie Spivey (10 digs and 9 kills), also ended their high school careers.
Winter Park, Osceola, Oviedo advance to FHSAA volleyball state semifinals
Varsity content editor Buddy Collings contributed to this report. He can be contacted by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.
