High School Volleyball: Who's in, who's out, our predictions for regional champions
The FHSAA released their brackets for each of the seven classifications across the state Saturday night in a selection show.
A higher seeded at-large could be in position to travel to a lower seeded district champion in the new format the FHSAA Board of Directors unanimously agreed to on April 25.
Teams in bold denote district champions. Teams in italics are local squads.
Volleyball: Canterbury, Estero, Fort Myers, Barron Collier, Seacrest win on night state record set
More: Seacrest's Breanah Rives passes Sarah Franklin to become Florida's all-time kills leader
Class 7A-Region 3
(8) Steinbrenner at (1) Venice
(7) Palm Harbor University at (2) Plant
(3) Gulf Coast at (6) Newsome
(5) East Lake at (4) Winter Haven
Analysis: This seems to be down to a pair of teams, in Plant and Venice, who are ranked inside the top 10 in Florida. Gulf Coast remains a dark horse, but it'll have to travel to Newsome as the Wolves are district champions. The Sharks lost to Venice in Class 7A-District 12. It'll be a tall order for Gulf Coast to get out of the region, but if Christy Wright's team is on, they can be dangerous with Aisha Keric, Lily Lucas, and others.
Regional Champion: Plant
Class 6A-Region 3
(8) Wharton at (1) Charlotte
(7) Fort Myers at (2) Land O'Lakes
(6) Sunlake at (3) Bloomingdale
(5) Springstead at (4) Mitchell
Analysis: With five teams separated by a total of 14 spots statewide, Fort Myers was seeded seventh in the region, pairing them up against Land O' Lakes in a clash of district champions. This region perhaps poses the most uncertainty, as Charlotte is 17-1, but has the second-lowest strength of schedule rating among the eight teams remaining. Land O' Lakes has played a total of 28 games thus far this season, the most among remaining teams.
Regional Champion: Land O' Lakes
Class 5A-Region 3
(8) Freedom at (1) Barron Collier
(7) Seminole at (2) Osceola
(6) Naples at (3) Braden River
(5) North Fort Myers at (4) St. Petersburg
Analysis: The Cougars have been peaking at the right time, and have a solid chance of knocking out a fellow district champion in the first round. Yamil Del Valle's team is primed to make it to a state semifinal, where it likely would face Choctawhatchee. That's assuming the Indians nor Jensen Beach, the No. 1 seed in 5A, don't get eliminated from the postseason earlier than expected. Naples and North Fort Myers will go on the road, with the Red Knights potentially matching up with the Cougars in a regional semifinal game.
Regional Champion: Barron Collier
Class 4A-Region 3
(8) LaBelle at (1) Academy of the Holy Names
(7) Nature Coast Tech at (2) Robinson
(6) Anclote at (3) Lemon Bay
(5) Weeki Wachee at (4) Estero
Analysis: Estero's return to the postseason will feature a contest between two district champions, as Weeki Wachee will travel over three hours to play the Wildcats. Gia Rosencrans has been the catalyst for Estero this season, as she recently won 4A Player of the Year honors in FACA District 18. John Ban's team should be favored in round one, but the favorite always has been Holy Names, the lone team ranked inside the top 100.
Regional Champion: Academy of the Holy Names
Class 3A-Region 3
(8) Bradenton Christian at (1) Calvary Christian
(2) Tampa Prep at (7) Carrollwood Day
(6) Berkeley Prep at (3) Clearwater Central Catholic
(5) Canterbury at (4) Cardinal Mooney
Analysis: Of all the regions in Southwest Florida, this one is the most unpredictable. Seven of the eight teams in the region are inside the top 45 statewide. The Cougars have a tough draw, as they'll take on a recent opponent in Cardinal Mooney on the road. Just last week, Mooney swept Canterbury 3-0 in their gym. Texas commit Jordyn Byrd is likely to give Canterbury problems once again after a 24-kill game. Calvary Christian (No. 6 in Florida) lost to just one in-state opponent this year in Santa Fe, which is ranked second statewide.
Regional Champion: Calvary Christian
Class 2A-Region 3
(8) Victory Christian at (1) Seacrest Country Day
(7) Tampa SLAM at (2) Keswick Christian
(6) Marco Island Academy at (3) Indian Rocks Christian
(5) St. John Neumann at (4) Tampa Bay HEAT
Analysis: The Stingrays should have it pretty easy in their quest to repeat as state champions as Keswick Christian is the only other team ranked inside the top 100. As a team, Seacrest is hitting .340, while the next closest team in that same category is Marco Island, which is hitting .199. The Stingrays, ranked first in 2A will have homecourt advantage through the postseason until the state semifinals, should they advance that far, as expected.
Regional Champion: Seacrest Country Day
Follow Southwest Florida Sports Writer Alex Martin on Twitter: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: High School Volleyball: Who's in, who's out, regional champion picks in SWFL
