High school volleyball: Sophomore Tekoa Barnes leads Boca Christian to first state final

After Tekoa Barnes banged home her 30th and final kill shot on match point, bedlam ensued at Boca Christian.

Dozens of fans poured out of the packed stands, storming the court, hugging, jumping, laughing, taking group selfies.

The players and fans danced to “Sweet Caroline’’ and then “We Are the Champions’’ as the celebration raged on.

Boca Christian is headed to its first-ever state finals appearance. The Blazers jumped to a 2-0 lead in sets and hung on against scrappy Orangewood Christian to capture Friday night’s four-set semifinal 25-20, 30-28, 21-25, 25-17.

Barnes, a sophomore and one of the top finishers in Florida, registered 30 kills with five aces and six digs in a relentlessly fierce performance.

“I’m so emotional,’’ Barnes said. “Oh my god. This is the biggest accomplishment ever (for me). We’re going to states! Let’s go!’’

Recent: Tekoa Barnes' record day punches Boca Raton Christian's state ticket

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There wasn’t an empty seat in the Boca Christian gymnasium with the road team also bringing a substantial group of fans from Maitland. The deafening noise rarely abated — as loud a high school volleyball party as Palm Beach County has seen.

“That was really big,’’ Barnes said. “They brought a really good energy to the court. If we didn’t have them, our energy would’ve been lower since everybody believed in us we could be here.’’

Coach Len Visser has been in charge for 20 years, and has been to four Final Fours but never got over the hump. The Blazers (25-4) will face powerhouse Seacrest next Saturday in the neutral Winter Haven venue.

By the time the celebration had subsided, Visser may have hugged the entire fan base. This was their first Final Four appearance since 2015.

“The atmosphere was amazing and our girls played off it,’’ Visser said. “They were ready for this. They wanted it. Tekoa wanted it and she led her team. It’s been 20 years for me in this position and it’s finally happened. We finally got to the state finals. It’s awesome.’’

Visser felt his young team — with its array of eighth-graders — was tentative at first, save for Barnes, who spent the night leaping into the air and hammering balls into the hardwood. She’s not the tallest player but “Bad News Barnes’’ is a super leaper with great timing and exquisite reflexes that have her keeping balls alive as a defender.

“She was unbelievable,’’ Visser said. “She took the team on her shoulders. A couple of our younger girls got a little nervous. She said, 'no, watch me, this is how you do it and get it done.' Bradee (Boyd) saw that and said ' got to swing hard,' and that’s what she started doing. She’s a true leader.’’

Boyd leads a stunning brigade of eighth-graders and finished with 14 kills and 12 digs to aid Barnes. Call them the “B & B Girls” as the duo led the Blazers to a 2-0 lead in sets, surviving extra play in the second stanza when it squeaked it out 30-28.

Late in the second set, Visser barked at the team, “Nothing drops on the ground, just keep fighting hard.”

Barnes came up lethal at the end of the set. Caitlin Crino, who had 46 assists, made a superb block that resulted in a point to go up 29-28, and Barnes hit a killer for the 30-28 win. “They took it and went with it,’’ Visser said.

Though they dropped the third set with Orangewood’s defense tightening, the Blazers had more energy in the fourth.

Gabriela Irizarry, the libero, made two sensational saves at the back line during a rally that put Boca Christian ahead 17-11 — a morale-crusher for Orangewood. Barnes ended the match with a kill shot, saying it was her proudest moment.

“I was very surprised (to lose the third),’’ said Barnes, favorite to win Player of the Year. “I thought we were going to beat them in three. We made them move around. We were tipping it, hitting it deep, trying to fool them. So they didn’t have the opportunity to run their offense.’’

Somehow, Barnes, who had 43 kills vs. Jupiter Christian in the prior win,  still had the energy to be jumping around dancing to “Sweet Caroline’’ after a trip to the final had been secured.

“We put it all together — this team is really good,’’ Barnes said. “We showed we can do it."

"This is good as it’s gotten for volleyball here,’’ Visser said. "The last match and this match, the fans have been amazing."

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boca Christian volleyball earns place in first state championship match