Pine Crest’s impressive run to state ends with loss to defending state champion
Pine Crest’s girls’ volleyball team faced an interesting outlook entering this season.
The Panthers had seven underclassmen, four juniors and only two seniors on their roster.
But one of those seniors, outside hitter Mia Gold, had plenty of big-game experience to help Pine Crest lead its young roster.
Gold, a Boston College commit, and the Panthers defied the odds and broke through to the school’s first state final four appearance since 2017.
Unfortunately for Pine Crest, it couldn’t finish their impressive season with a state title.
The Panthers battled for four competitive sets, but ultimately lost to reigning Class 3A state champion Orlando Lake Highland Prep, 25-22, 20-25, 25-21, 25-23 on Monday in a state semifinal at Polk State College in Winter Haven.
“We were a little anxious early and made too many serving mistakes,” Pine Crest coach Eric Rivera said. “We lost and it was a little difficult for us because they’ve been in these scenarios a lot and we haven’t. It was a really good match.”
Pine Crest (20-10) committed several unforced errors in the first set, but bounced back quickly behind Gold and juniors Elizabeth Sauby and Gabriella Florian to even the match.
The Panthers remained competitive throughout the third and fourth sets, but were unable to keep Lake Highland Prep’s own frontline of 6-1 Jenny Glushakov, 5-11 Alex Kennedy and 5-11 Isa Umpierre in check long enough.
Pine Crest took a 5-1 in the third set, before Lake Highland Prep responded with six consecutive points.
Down 24-20 in the fourth set, the Panthers dug out three match points until the Highlanders landed a kill to end the match.
Gold finished with a team-high 18 kills and Pine Crest libero Kaylee Foreman led the Panthers on the back row, digging numerous attacks by the Highlanders (23-6), who advanced to Wednesday’s 3A state final against Clearwater Calvary Christian at 10 a.m.
Among Pine Crest’s top contributors on Monday and throughout the season was setter Isabella Collado, an eighth-grader. Collado was one of the main reasons the Panthers beat Gulliver Prep in last week’s regional final after losing to the Raiders in that round each of the prior two seasons.
“We had success with players that usually haven’t been in these scenarios in high school or at the club level,” Rivera said. “We brought the level up for this team throughout the season, and the girls handled the pressure in close matches all year.”
Rivera is excited about the group’s potential going forward, but said Gold will be sorely missed both on and off the court. A five-year starter for Pine Crest, Gold was the team’s main offensive weapon throughout her career and developed into one of the best players in the state overall.
“She’s going to be a huge loss,” Rivera said. “Mia was a team captain for this season and she’s been a true role model for all of her young teammates. She leads by example. Just a great kid, super humble. Great work ethic. I’m super proud to be her coach.”
