St. Thomas Aquinas girls’ volleyball sweeps its way to state final, rematch with Viera

The table is set.

Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas made quick work of Valrico Bloomingdale, 3-0, on Wednesday during a Class 6A semifinal at the FHSAA girls’ volleyball state championships at Polk State College.

”We played well and I thought we had a great start,” said St. Thomas’ Hall of Fame coach Lisa Zielinski, who posted her 937th overall career win. “States are a little different because people get jittery and it’s a different environment. There was a lot riding on the game.”

The win advances St. Thomas (26-3) into the 6A state championship match against Melbourne Viera -- the team which eliminated the Raiders in the semifinals a year ago -- at 7 p.m. Thursday.

St. Thomas never gave Bloomingdale much breathing room, winning 25-11, 25-10 and 25-17.

”I thought we started out confident and we executed well. We served well and we didn’t make a lot of mistakes, which puts pressure on the other side,” Zielinski said.

Viera advanced to the 6A state title match after topping Tallahassee Chiles 3-1 in the first semifinal.

“Last year, I think we just couldn’t get into a groove against Viera,” Zielinski said. “We made some mistakes and I just don’t feel like we ever got going. We just have to have a better mindset for this, but we are confident right now.”

Senior outside hitter Sydney Van Cott led St. Thomas with 13 kills and four digs.

”I am so excited to be going onto the finals,” Van Cott said. “This team has put in a bunch of work to come here and play our hearts out.”

Senior libero Halley Tang was instrumental dishing out three aces and producing eight digs diving all over the floor for St. Thomas.

”This year we are coming back and we are coming to win. We are stronger and better than ever,” Tang said. “We have all the right people and I really think we are going to do it this year.”

Additionally, Zielinski pointed to Mikayla Porter, Zoe Taylor and Zori Brown as having key moments in the win.

”I thought Mikayka did great, she was setting and had some great digs. Zoe Taylor and Zori Brown, and all those hitters really kept us balanced,” Zielinski said. “The mentality is you have to push, you have to push, push. Momentum can change in volleyball. It can easily go one way or the other, so I tell them to play with urgency. You can’t get comfortable.”

Zielinski has rolled up 893 wins, six state championships, 15 regional titles and 32 district championships for St. Thomas over 36 seasons.

This story was originally published November 8, 2023 at 10:27 PM.