Gibbons falls in Class 4A finals

Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) defeated Cardinal Gibbons in four sets, 29-27, 25-18, 17-25, and 25-20, to win its second state championship.

Bishop Kenney (21-8) entered the match winning six in a row and 12 of its last 13. The only loss came against Ponte Vedra. They opened the season losing six of their first 10 games.

After starting the season 1-3, Cardinal Gibbons (7-4) had won six straight matches before dropping the championship game.

Junior Dylan Andrews led the Chiefs with 10 kills, 3 aces, an assist, and 12 digs, while freshman Emma O’Keeffe (8 kills, 5 blocks) and senior Valeria Lozada (31 assists, 3 aces, a kill and 3 digs) also contributed.

“We went from not sure whether or not we would have a season at the beginning of September and they made it to the state championship game,” said Cardinal Gibbons coach Katheryn Reeber. “We started with Zoom calls and I told them to be happy ifwe could get a couple of games in. The best part was we didn’t know. The girls just fought and they jelled together.”

Due to COVID, the Chiefs were unable to start their season until October. Reeber said the experience of Bishop Kenny, who had logged nearly 30 games this season, may have played a factor.

“I am sure it did,” Reeber said .“The more you play, the better you get. We are lucky to be here. It was a really tight match. We fought and we definitely had some nerves. I think if we had won that firstgame, it might have been a different story.

“I think overcoming the shortened season and learning from some tough losses during the regular season, they did extremely well,” Reeber said. “I am so proud of them.”

The Chiefs lost a very important member of their volleyball family this year in former Cardinal Gibbons coach Jude Abrams, who was a long-time assistant coach for the volleyball team as well as the softball and basketball team sat Gibbons. The team had dedicated the season to her.