The Boca Raton Christian girls volleyball team captured its first state title in school history with a 25-20, 27-25, 25-22 victory against St. Edward’s in the Class 1A state championship at Polk State College in Winter Haven on Wednesday night.
Boca Raton Christian, which made its fourth consecutive appearance in the state championship contest, was determined to take home the coveted trophy.
“It feels amazing and I’m so proud of the girls,” Boca Raton Christian coach Len Visser said. “We play like a team, and I had total confidence in them. They all trusted each other. It’s truly one of my closest teams and they lifted each other up.”
Sophomore Hannah Vanzwieten had a team-high 12 kills, junior Mackenzi Vanzwieten and sophomore Caroline Wright both had eight kills and junior Caitlin Crino added seven kills.
“Hannah played amazing on the outside and I knew she would,” Visser said. “Caroline played through an ankle injury and did not want to come off the court. She did an amazing job. Mackenzi and Caitlin both stepped up. We utilized everyone and it was a team win.”
The Blazers were also led by several key performers in their state title run, including sophomore libero Brianna Nahmod, freshman Olivia LaGasse, senior Jenifer Good and eighth-grader Valentina Gonzalez.
Boca Raton Christian fell behind 15-10 in the first set and rallied with four straight points. After trailing 19-17, they responded with a 3-0 run for their first lead of the match after a block by Hannah Vanzwieten. The teams were locked in 20-20 tie before the Blazers scored the final five points of the set. Hannah Vanzwieten stepped up with a kill for the final point of the set.
In the second set, the Blazers jumped out to a 13-7 advantage. The Pirates trailed 19-17 and answered back with three consecutive points to take the lead. The Blazers faced a 24-23 deficit and rallied after Wright recorded a block to tie the score. The Blazers also trailed 25-24 and registered three straight points to close the set.
The Blazers trailed 19-15 in the third set and rallied with six straight points to jump ahead 21-19. Hannah Vanzwieten recorded a kill for the final point of the match.
Boca Raton Christian had defeated Seacrest Country Day in four sets (25-20, 25-21, 24-26, 27-25) in the Class 1A state semifinal. Seacrest Country Day had previously defeated Boca Raton Christian in the state championship match for three consecutive seasons. Hannah Vanzwieten recorded a team-high 22 kills and Wright added 20 kills.
“The win against Seacrest was huge and it felt like a final,” Visser said. “We have been focused the whole season and these girls persevered and got it done.”
Boca Raton Christian (16-11) won seven straight matches to close the season. They swept six of their final seven opponents and dropped just one set.
Pine Crest Reaches Class 3A Final Four
The Pine Crest girls volleyball team fell short in four sets (22-25, 25-20, 21-25, 23-25) against Lake Highland Prep in a Class 3A state semifinal on Nov. 3.
Pine Crest (20-11) had won five consecutive matches leading up to the state semifinal, including a victory in three sets against Gulliver Prep in the regional final. The Panthers reached the state final four for the first time since 2017. Senior Mia Gold had a team-high 22 kills in the loss.
The Panthers were led by several top performers throughout the season. Gold finished as the leader in kills while junior Kaylee Foreman led the squad in digs. Eighth-grader Isabella Collado led the Panthers in assists, junior Gabriella Florian finished second on the team in kills and junior Elizabeth Sauby led the team in blocks.