Palm Beach Gardens sweeps Cypress Bay
Gators to host Miami Southwest in state semifinal on Saturday
With four senior starters from last year’s state runner-up having graduated, Palm Beach Gardens didn’t blink as it swept Cypress Bay in the Class 9A regional final for a second straight season.
Junior libero Ashley Klein had 33 digs and 11 service points, while junior outside hitter Hailey Hart contributed 11 digs and 12 service points and senior hitter Brielle Jones added 16 digs and 18 service points for the Gators, who swept Cypress Bay 25-19, 25-16 and 25-20.
Palm Beach Gardens (27-3), which has lost only seven sets all season, while winning 71, will host Miami Southwest High School on Saturday in the state semifinal.
Cypress Bay (22-9), a district runner-up, fell in the regional finals for the third straight year. The Lightning jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in the first game behind Abbie Holt.
Palm Beach gardens rallied to take a 13-10 lead and coasted to the win.
“I had no doubt they would turn it back around,” said Palm Beach Gardens coach Joy VanDyke, whose team defeated Cypress Bay earlier this season, winning 25-16, 25-20 in a tournament. “We have actually started a couple of other games the same way, we just needed to find our rhythm and dig ourselves out of that hole and once we got started, it was pretty solid.”
The game was a rematch of last year’s regional final which Palm Beach Gardens won 25-11, 25-12, 25-18. Palm Beach Gardens reached the state final last year where it fell to West Orange, 25-23, 25-20, 27-25.
The Gators’ last loss came in September to Calvary Christian in the finals of the Palm Beach Classic. The two-set loss was also the last time the Gators dropped a set as they 25-18, 25-18. They have won 28 straight sets since.