North Broward Prep wins thriller to secure first girls’ volleyball state title

Clear a spot in the trophy case, North Broward Prep is bringing one home.

The No. 1-ranked Eagles won the FHSAA Class 4A girls’ volleyball state championship on Saturday with a 3-2 win over second-ranked Merritt Island at Polk State College.

It was not only the first girls volleyball state title in program history but the first girls’ state title in any sport.

“I love it. It’s great and this feeling is awesome,” North Broward eighth-grader Emma Luehrs said. “I was like, ‘Let’s go. This is an opportunity that is once in a lifetime, so let’s go.’ You have to be confident and you have to have energy. It pushed us through.”

North Broward first-year coach Brian Coughenour was a club coach for 20 years before he made the move to the high school ranks this season, and it paid off with a state title.

“It was a super-great class with a lot of seniors and it made my life a lot easier,” Coughenhour said. “The previous coach kind of set me up and everything worked out perfectly. And I’m in it for the long haul.”

North Broward (26-2) won in five sets 25-17, 22-25, 18-25, 25-10 and 15-10. The Eagles jumped out to a strong start before Merritt Island (29-3) rallied back and held a 2-1 lead after three sets. But when the fourth set began, North Broward found another gear and took control of the match.

“That fourth set kind of changed everything,” Coughenhour said. “Beating a team 25-10, that really breaks momentum for them. That really gave us everything we needed. We made a defensive sub to give a kid a bit more rest and she was able to go out and be an offensive force in the fifth set.”

North Broward was led by senior Dashia Johnson, who posted 22 kills, 14 passes and 11 digs. Senior Yasmin Dias Tonon finished with 17 kills, 16 passes and 10 digs while junior Jayda Palumbo had 16 kills and 10 digs.

“I feel like we just wanted it more. We were really pushing ourselves,” Johnson said. “I feel like our coach really pushed us in practice and we had the momentum just because he was there. Each person on this team really contributed to winning. Everybody pushed each other.”

Coughenour said the secret to North Broward’s success this season was accountability.

“Iron sharpens iron and these practices were brutal, and it came down to this,” he said.