After graduation of star player, Gulliver volleyball primed for another state title push
Miami Gulliver Prep’s volleyball team was coming off a special season which ended with its first state championship.
But the Raiders’ title defense would have to come without one of the program’s all-time best players in Jackie Taylor, now a freshman at the University of North Carolina.
Propelled by a starting group that has only two seniors and not as much height up front as last year’s squad, Gulliver adjusted to life without Taylor with a squad that relies more on its serving, and quick, precise passing to win matches.
On Tuesday night, the Raiders showed how well their new approach works as they won a tough three-set match against Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons 26-24, 25-21, 25-21 in a Region 4-3A quarterfinal at Gulliver Prep.
The Raiders (16-7) will next host longtime rival Miami Ransom Everglades on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the regional semifinals. Ransom advanced Tuesday with a four-set win over Boca Raton St. Andrews. The teams split two matches during the regular season.
“We’re very young. At some points this season, we’ve rolled out a lineup that has three sophomores, a freshman and two eighth-graders,” Gulliver coach Emilio Rodriguez said. “But they’re very poised and experienced at the club level. We’re not as big as we were when Jackie was here, but we’re very ball dominant and can attack from everywhere so I feel like we’re more explosive in other parts of the game.”
Gulliver graduated seven seniors overall from last year’s state championship squad. The Raiders also lost five consecutive matches in late August at a tournament in Gainesville. Their win Tuesday was their 14th in their past 16 matches.
Senior Julia Rose Rivera and sophomores Brianna Napoles and Kate Welty have been at the forefront of the Gulliver attack. Sophomore Mia Lavalle has been one of the key cogs for the Raiders in terms of serving and was again against Gibbons (12-14) at key points in the match.
Lavalle has also been huge on the defensive end while Napoles and senior Ana Garcia have been key setters.
“We had to come up with ways to manufacture points. Every girl that goes back there we depend on to get us points,” Rodriguez said. “We move the ball fast and have about four or five setters we can plug in anywhere to create mismatches. We’re looking to exploit weaknesses on the other side with our ball control and our speed.”
For Gibbons, it was the culmination of a season of inconsistency through a challenging schedule, but one that experienced a lot of growth for a team which graduates only two starters per coach Kathryn Reeber.
“It was a tough schedule and we had a rollercoaster of a season,” Reeber said. “We had a lot of good close games we couldn’t pull out and some that we didn’t show up, but I thought we grew a lot and we surprised a few people with some big wins here at the end. The consistency just wasn’t there today.”
MORE RESULTS
▪ Region 4-3A: Ransom Everglades d. Boca Raton St. Andrews 25-19, 21-25, 25-22, 25-19; Calvary Christian d. Monsignor Pace 25-22, 23-25, 25-17, 25-17.
▪ Region 3-2A: Westminster Academy d. Naples Community School 25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 25-14.
▪ Region 4-2A: Westminster Christian d. Archbishop Carroll 25-9, 25-15, 26-24; Palmer Trinity d. True North 18-25, 25-19, 25-27, 25-18, 15-9; Riviera Prep d. Miami Country Day 25-15, 25-18, 25-18; Divine Savior d. Florida Christian 25-8, 25-14, 25-21.
▪ Region 4-1A: Boca Raton Christian d. Colonial Christian 25-8, 25-4, 25-8; Pine School d. Westwood Christian 25-18, 19-25, 25-20, 25-10; Sagemont d. Cushman 25-5, 25-7, 25-11; Lake Worth Christian d. Pinecrest Prep 21-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-12.
This story was originally published October 22, 2024 at 10:37 PM.
