VOLLEYBALL
Hollywood Hills upends Cypress Bay
To get ready for this year's volleyball season, Hollywood Hills coach Jenna Andrews had her team run on the beach three days a week during the summer.
On Wednesday night in the Region 3-6A quarterfinals at Attucks Middle School, the extra effort paid off as the Spartans' used their quickness to beat Cypress Bay 25-11, 25-17, 25-18.
``We have been working hard on team work because that's my main focus,'' said Andrews, who has never taken a team this far in her 10 years as coach. ``We do a lot together and we practice bonding.''
Right from the start, the team came together.
Led by the serving of Beth Shoaff and the net play of Taylor Miller (21 kills), the Spartans (16-7) broke out to a quick 5-0 lead and never trailed.
In the second game, Bianca Jensen (eight kills) and Steph Koontz (21 assists) kept things close for Cypress Bay (16-11) and cut the Hills lead to 19-15.
But after a Spartans timeout, things fell apart for the Lightning.
Despite the loss, Cypress Bay coach Mililani Suzuki was proud of her team.
``I never expected to get this far,'' she said.
Hills will play West Broward in the regional final.
-- BUTCH STALLINGS
Region 4-2A quarterfinal -- Westminster Academy d. Fort Pierce John Carroll 27-25, 25-14, 27-25: Amelia Bohlander had 13 kills (three blocks, two tips) and six service points (two aces) to lead a solid effort for Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale.
The Lions (20-6) will host Calvary Christian in a rematch of the district finals -- won by Westminster -- in the region semifinal on Nov. 10.
Westminster avenged an earlier loss to John Carroll (21-8) at the Martin County tournament. The Lions served, passed and hit well Wednesday. The defense was strong, and they won the close games.
Leigh Andrew had 14 kills (tip), nine digs, nine service points (ace), and Brenna Pelletier had nine service points (three aces), eight digs and a kill. Jenny Walsh recorded 12 digs to anchor a solid defense along with Andrew and Pelletier.
-- JIM VARSALLONE
Region 4-4A quarterfinal -- Mater Academy d. Archbishop McCarthy 22-25, 23-25, 25-16 25-23, 15-2: Senior Natasha Naveda scored 13 consecutive service points and senior Jenna Isaacs finished off the victory with a kill.
``The first two sets, my heart was breaking,'' Isaacs said. ``But our whole team, we brought it back together, and that's the best feeling in the world. I'm going to cry right now.''
Isaacs finished with 24 kills and one block, and Maria Madrid had 17 kills and two blocks.
-- EVAN DREXLER
Region 3-6A semifinal -- West Broward d. Plantation 25-20, 21-25, 25-13, 25-11: West Broward defeated Plantation to advance to the regional finals for the first time in school history.
West Broward got it done using a variety of different players to tally kills, assists and digs.
``We are blessed with versatility,'' Bobcats coach Jill Smitherman said. ``We distribute the ball well and get the job done.''
Leading the way for the Bobcats was Taylor Bonito, who totaled 33 assists, 15 digs, two blocks and four kills. She also hit four consecutive aces to start the first set.
-- ALEX WEINTRAUB
Region 4-4A quarterfinal: Cardinal Gibbons d. Norland 25-4, 25-9, 25-9: Katie Hilman had two blocks, five kills, 16 service points. Kaiti Donahoe had four kills, 28 assists, six aces. Suzi Solenski had 10 kills, six service points. CG 21-2.
Region 4-2A quarterfinal -- Calvary Christian d. Benjamine 25-23. 25-22, 25-22: Christine Lakatos had 16 kills, five blocks, three service points. Debra Gordon had 14 kills, four service points, four aces. Jessie Wilkie had 30 assists, 10 service points. CC 17-9.
Region 3-6A quarterfinal -- Douglas d. Jupiter 25-22, 23-25, 25-14, 25-23: Kendall Putnam had 13 service points, four aces, 19 kills. Kirsten Kuhl had five digs, 11 kills, four blocks. Lauren Strode had three service points, 12 digs. DOU 17-6.
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