Cardinal Gibbons' slogan ''Play for Keeps'' was emblazoned across the chests of the volleyball team all season on their warmup shirts. But Friday, ''keep'' was scribbled out, and ''Nick'' was written in its place.
With star player Nick Williams still in the hospital after a car accident Sunday morning, the Gibbons community packed the Douglas gym to support the Chiefs' effort to win a second state title.
But after winning the first game 26-24, the Chiefs (27-2) dropped the next three 18-25, 21-25, 25-27 to Spanish River in a state quarterfinal match.
Gibbons trailed 20-12 in the fourth game but did not surrender to the Sharks.
The Chiefs battled back but fell short in a 27-25 nail-biter in the decisive game.
''We wanted to pull it out for Nick,'' Gibbons hitter Josh Nirenberg said. ``He was out there in all six of us on the court. The comeback was him in us, in our hearts. He was the drive.''
Playing a game with the star player absent would be a difficult task for any team, but this situation was harder.
''There was a hole in our wall,'' Gibbons coach Marcy Meyer said.
``These kids worked hard all week to cement that hole. They never gave up.''
John Downs had eight kills and Austin Belt had nine kills, including three in the final game.
But Nirenberg, a first-year player, was the star. Going into the tournament with 130 kills, Nirenberg was not the go-to guy on the court. He immediately showed his value Friday.
Tied at 24 in the first set, the hitter smacked back-to-back kills to end the game.
''Nick is the one who got me to come out and play volleyball,'' Nirenberg recounted.
``There is no better player, teammate or friend out there. I think this was my best game, and it was all for him.''
The large Gibbons crowd erupted with cheers and applause after Nirenberg's heroics, but Spanish River returned to top form in the second game.
The Sharks went on a 10-3 run to extend their lead to 19-11 before the game got sloppy. Three of the final four points were off service errors.
The Sharks relied on Dennis Rogenmoser to lead the offense in the third game. He led the squad with 13 kills.
''Spanish River has a great bunch of guys,'' Nirenberg said. ``They were there to see Nick at the hospital, and they played great today.''
COOPER CITY LOSES
Cooper City, in its first state tournament appearance, made the debut a memorable one. After a season of exceeding expectations, the Cowboys won the first set 26-24 before dropping the next three 19-25, 18-25, 22-25 to Lake Mary in a quarterfinal match.
Travis Nichols, who entered the tournament with 203 kills, dominated the first game. Nichols had five kills in the first set, but it was his play in the back row that gave the Cowboys the win.
When Nichols rotated off of the net, Lake Mary breathed a sigh of relief. With his squad trailing 24-22, Nichols served an ace, bringing the Cowboys within 1.
After a Rams' mistake, Nichols placed a ball in the deep right corner for the 25-24 lead. On the ensuing play, he picked the opposite corner and the ball bounced right on the line for the 26-24 victory.
''I'm so glad he is on my team,'' Cowboys coach Warren Denise said.
But with every kill that Nichols would deal the Rams, Lake Mary's Robert Rowe had an answer. The senior had 23 kills to lead his team to victory.
Tied at 9-9 in the second game, Nichols recorded two consecutive kills to give the Cowboys the 11-9 lead. But after a kill by Jesse Ting, a block by Ariel Osteen and a kill by James Verity, the Rams would take the lead for the rest of the game.
''I'm surprised we made it this far,'' said senior Travis Burch, who had 14 kills. ``No one expected us to win, and we did. We played as hard as we could.''
After losing the third game, the Cowboys fell behind 20-16 late in the fourth.
Nichols had a kill and a block in the final plays, but the Cowboys could not pull off the comeback.
Nichols had a game-high 28 kills in the loss. Setter J.P. Pelaez added 42 assists.
''We hate for it to end,'' Denise said.
``They really made us work, and they won a lot of the big points. We hit balls hard that we were already celebrating, and they would get it back.''
