'Rowdy' Boca Raton volleyball earns revenge on Jupiter to remain undefeated

BOCA RATON — Boca Raton girls volleyball rolled to 9-0 on Thursday with a four-set win (25-17, 20-25, 25-18, 25-11) over Jupiter, avenging last year's season-ending loss to the Warriors in the Class 7A region finals.

The undefeated start contrasts with the Bobcats' 3-6 record at this point last fall under then first-year head coach Andrew Sloan. Boca Raton came together late in the year to finish 12-10 and a win over Jupiter shy of the state semifinals.

Familiar foes, Sloan said the win over Jupiter "means nothing until it really means something," emphasizing his squad could see the Warriors (8-3) again in the postseason.

"I didn't expect anything but that: a war," Sloan said. "I told the girls this year, 'We've got to get another shot at that.'

"Hopefully the second visit — which I'm sure will probably happen — we'll be ready, we'll be ready, we'll be ready."

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Here are three takeaways from the Bobcats' revenge:

How Jupiter inspired offseason transformation for Boca

Senior setter Heather Mckenzie said the Bobcats spent game day "mentally preparing" for Jupiter. But those preparations started the minute Boca's girls took the court for the last time after their state title hopes were stunted last November.

"To come out with the win — even after dropping a set, we were able to come back and just push to the end," Mckenzie said. "To not let off the gas at all in that last set and win 25-11 feels outstanding."

Mckenzie racked up 36 assists against Jupiter, setting up outside hitter Natalie Depaula who led the night with 14 kills, followed by 10 each from Pennsylvania transfer Mija Bendziute opposite Depaula and junior libero Catherine Hubiak.

"I love my setter. I love our connection." Depaula said. "We've been working our butts off for this moment."

After a breakout season last fall, tallying 272 kills to rank No. 15 in Class 7A , Depaula said being undefeated feels great, especially after clinching Boca's first win over Jupiter since 2019.

"We waited so long and it was worth it," Depaula said.

Defense defines the dub

Despite having just moved to South Florida over the summer, the 6-foot-2 sophomore knows the weight that this redemption win over Jupiter holds for Boca in moving forward and staying unbeaten.

"This is just the start and I think we can be so much better," Bendziute said.

Bendziute "never expected" to be on a team as good as Boca's. Considering the loss of key senior hitters like Greta Gelumbickas and Gesica Borecki, Bendziute's addition to the roster is a critical factor in what's making Boca so "good" in 2022.

Jupiter slowed Boca's attack, but 15 digs and three blocks from Bendziute countered  the Warriors' defense, displaying notable improvements in transition and timing.

Hubiak recorded a game-high 16 digs for a personal-best performance. Sophomore Sophia Olveira and senior Liyah Deveaux topped the roster with six blocks each.

'Rowdy' student section derails Warriors

Boca Raton has united to establish the program's longest undefeated start since the 2012 Class 8A state title-winning team, which went 18-0 before their first loss in October.

"Now that we have some months under our belt and training under our belt, I think our team responded to the occasion," Sloan said, happy with the progress he's seen his team make in bringing back a rich "Boca culture that was missing."

Starting on Monday with another revenge win over Lake Worth Christian, Boca's student section is clearly feeding off of that success and sucked the life right out of a young Jupiter roster.

After Jupiter established a confidence-shaking 17-11 lead in a second set the Warriors would go on to win, the pack was so rambunctious that match officials had to stop the action  to chastise the students.

Sloan admitted Boca is known to have a rowdy group, "100 percent."

"I think the girls feed off of that energy, but again, the performance itself, it just lends to that, right?" Sloan said. "I mean, if they're playing well and they're playing confident, of course, you're gonna have the fans and support."

"We have the best fans in the world so I don't complain. They can be as loud as they want."

Emilee Smarr is the high school sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. She can be reached at esmarr@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boca Raton volleyball earns revenge on Jupiter, stays undefeated