Gulliver Prep girls volleyball’s state title repeat bid blocked by Orlando powerhouse
Gulliver Prep’s girls’ volleyball team could have been satisfied with celebrating their first state championship for a while longer.
Instead, they decided to defy expectations and make a run for another one.
Their journey took them back to Polk State College in Winter Haven on Tuesday morning - a year after the Raiders triumphed on that same court.
But this time, the result was painfully different.
Gulliver’s resilient return trip to state ended abruptly after Orlando powerhouse Lake Highland Prep dominated the majority of a 25-15, 25-20, 25-20 victory over the Raiders in a Class 3A state semifinal.
“For the first time in school history, we went to state in back to back years so we were proud of that,” Gulliver coach Emilio Rodriguez said. “Especially after losing seven seniors, everyone counted us out and that was motivation in itself. We had girls playing at new positions and taking on new roles, and they could have thrown in the towel early in the season. Instead, they embraced the culture and fought.”
Many questioned whether the Raiders (18-8) would be able to return to the final four after graduating seven seniors including standout Jackie Taylor, now a freshman at North Carolina.
But Gulliver rallied around a strong core of returning players and overcame a five-game losing streak in August to make it back.
Against the Highlanders (22-5), who have made it to the state final four in five of the past six seasons, the Raiders were unable to replicate that success consistently.
Gulliver’s top two attackers Julia Rose Rivera and Kate Welty had trouble against Lake Highland Prep’s formidable block of FAU commit Kierstin Bevelle and Columbia University commit Elena Maynulet.
Rose Rivera, who entered the match averaging 3 kills per set, was held to only four. Welty found some room at times and finished with a team-best 17 kills and nine digs.
But Lake Highland Prep often set up a wall at the net, which denied Gulliver the ability to put together any sustained runs.
“We were humming on offense, but we ran into some patches where they used their block very well,” Rodriguez said. “They were getting points a little too easy.”
Rose Rivera finished with 10 digs and Mia Lavalle totaled 20 digs. Setter Brianna Napoles totaled nine kills, 14 digs and had a team-high 19 assists while setter Ana Garcia had 12 assists and two aces.
But Gulliver also struggled early with serve consistency, which had been a strength throughout its run to state.
The Raiders’ best run came in the second set when they scored five consecutive points to take a 16-13 lead. But the Highlanders came out of a timeout and again had a counter punch, which led to them rallying to win the set and take control of the match.
“That team played extremely well, and you could tell with our girls, the youth finally came out a little bit,” Rodriguez said. “I feel like the past month or two we had a high caliber of volleyball, but we just couldn’t put it together today.”
