Gulliver rallies after slow start to secure first trip to state girls’ volleyball final
Gulliver Prep’s girls’ volleyball team isn’t afraid to take a punch - metaphorically speaking.
The Raiders absorbed some strong play from their opponent on Friday, losing the first set in their first match ever at the state final four.
But like a good fighter, Gulliver punched back and eventually outlasted Tampa Academy of the Holy Names for a 3-1 (21-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-21) victory at Polk State College in Winter Haven.
The Raiders (28-3) will next try to win their first state championship when they take on Orlando Bishop Moore on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Class 4A final.
“Sometimes it feels like we play like a boxer,” Gulliver coach Emilio Rodriguez said. “We kind of get the first couple of licks in and then we get the stature of our opponent and then we start moving forward. It makes for a very stressful beginning for a coach sometimes.
“But we’re making history with each point for our school. Honestly, it feels like the pressure has been off since the regional final and now we’re just enjoying the moment.”
Gulliver’s top star, senior outside hitter Jackie Taylor, seems to be enjoying the moment.
Taylor, a University of North Carolina signee, led the Raiders with 28 kills and five blocks and delivered the winning block to clinch the match.
“She lives for this moment,” Rodriguez said. “All day, since 8 in the morning she couldn’t wait to get this game started. A lot of her kills aren’t coming just from aggressive spikes, she’s tipping balls and finding corners and anticipating blocks.”
Taylor found different ways to impact the match on the offensive end throughout the match and at key points such as the pivotal third set victory.
“We made it a point that on certain rotations she needed to garner as much attention as possible,” Rodriguez said. “Later in the season, we made some adjustments where 90 percent of the looks offensively when she was in there and when she came out we would split our hitters and make the defense work left and right.”
But Taylor wasn’t alone.
Junior outside hitter Julia Rose Rivera iced that third set with a winning kill and finished with 23 overall as well as three blocks.
“She’s the Swiss Army knife of this team,” Rodriguez said. “She brings the dynamic of being able to score from every part of the court. She keeps defenses guessing and is really the only kid on the roster that can do that.”
Senior setter Maya Pace is the conductor of Gulliver’s orchestra on the court.
Pace, who owns the school record for career assists with 2,030, finished with 53 assists on Friday to go along with three kills and three blocks.
“Her setting has been pivotal,” Rodriguez said. “She’s delivering the ball all over the court for the kids to get the kills they’re getting.”
Hailey Brenner totaled seven kills and five assists while Sophia Wong had 25 digs. Kate Welty finished with six kills and two blocks, and Carolina Alfonso recorded three aces.
