Northeast Florida high school volleyball third-round playoff previews: 5 area teams play
The Florida High School Athletic Association begins 2022 regional championship matches for high school volleyball on Tuesday. All schedules are subject to change.
REGION 1-4A
South Walton (17-10) at Bishop Kenny (18-9)
7 p.m. Tuesday
It's a rematch of the regional final from last fall, when Bishop Kenny won in three and Ally Cavanaugh delivered 23 kills to secure a semifinal berth. The Georgia-committed senior is back this time, too, with 308 kills on the season and double figures in each of her last eight matches. Darby Beddome and Madeline Smith are both above 200 kills for the Seahawks. The winner advances to a state semifinal Friday, against an opponent to be determined based on the Florida High School Athletic Association's ranking system.
REGION 1-3A
Trinity Christian (25-3) at Ocala Trinity Catholic (19-3)
7 p.m. Tuesday
This is already history for the Conquerors, the first third-round match ever for the school's volleyball program. Now, they travel to the 2021 regional champion Celtics, state champions in 2018 and 2020. Trinity Catholic's Amelia Fitzpatrick (408 assists, 136 kills, 128 digs) is among Florida's most versatile players, connecting with Kiana LaBorde (292 kills, .341 hitting percentage) in attack. But when Amaria King is on target — the sophomore whacked 37 kills in the second round — Trinity Christian is very tough to beat.
REGION 1-2A
Christ's Church (18-5) at Gainesville Oak Hall (24-4)
6 p.m. Tuesday
The Eagles are going for their second state title in five years, but to get it, they'll have to overcome the region's top seed in Oak Hall. Pene Moser is close to 400 kills for Oak Hall, which won state titles in 1997 and 1999, knocked out CCA in four sets last fall and narrowly edged the Eagles in a best-of-3 tournament match in August. For Christ's Church, Nadia Mortensen got a double-double (11 kills, 20 digs) in the last match against St. Johns Country Day.
REGION 3-1A
Union County (19-7) at Aucilla Christian (21-3)
7 p.m. Tuesday
Can Union County surmount the Aucilla Christian barricade? Warriors senior middle Lena Kimmell leads the Sunshine State with 165 blocks, and she's coming off a 14-kill performance in the opening-round sweep of Hilliard. Victory would lift the Fightin' Tigers into the final four for the first time since getting there back-to-back in 2016 and 2017, while Aucilla Christian had never previously won a playoff match. For Union County, battle-tested senior Jaycee Davis has scored more than 1,000 kills in her career.
REGION 1-5A
Ridgeview (18-11) at Ocala Vanguard (15-11)
7 p.m. Wednesday
A contest of power against power as Ridgeview travels to Marion County in a bid to reach its first-ever final four. This isn't the same Vanguard team that started the year 2-6: The Knights are healthy now and have been blasting the ball through these playoffs, particularly with Emma Ehmann scoring big on the outside. The battle of middles, Lillian Hart (169 kills) for Vanguard and Haley Robinson (294 kills) and Katie Cole (146 kills) for Ridgeview, should be well worth watching.
Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX, and sign up for the First Coast Varsity newsletter at https://profile.jacksonville.com/newsletters/first-coast-varsity/.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school volleyball: 2022 Northeast Florida regional final previews
