Jupiter wraps regular season with 20th win

JUPITER − Regular season volleyball is coming to a close and the road ahead is looking bright for the gals at Jupiter and Benjamin.

As of Wednesday, the Warriors are onto district play after picking up a fourset win (25-19, 25-15, 24-26, 25-15) over Benjamin, who still has one game left at Westminster Academy before the returning Class 3A region semifinalists can fully focus on playoffs.

“I do think that these two matches, win or lose, we’re learning a lot about ourselves and what we can do and what we need to fix going into the postseason,” Benjamin coach Alex Clarke said.

Clarke, who’s led the Bucs since 2010, has never been shy to schedule grueling competition at the end of the year to see her team battle-tested when elimination play begins.

Jupiter was a solid measuring stick for where the Buccaneers standing ahead of another postseason push in 2023.

“We knew coming in that it was going to be a tough match and they had several players that could play, put the ball away, and score,” Clarke said.

It’s a meeting filled with “friendly rivalries” that the two teams look forward to every year. This season, Benjamin is a little younger with only two seniors, middle hitter Grace Havlicek and libero Maggie Smith, hitting the floor.

Especially when compared to an upperclassman-led core of Warriors, headlined by Virginia outside hitter commit Sarah Brodner, Katelyn Coombs, Lexi Figoras, Jordan Guarneri, Sophia Rodriguez, and Isabel Voss, who celebrated their senior night against the Bucs.

“Last week, when we were at Dwyer, I saw them finally rise to the occasion and fight for every point− it’s been a struggle to get there and it was a struggle at the beginning of the year being almost an entirely new team,” Clarke said. Last Tuesday, the Bucs rallied to win in five sets (14-25, 25-16, 18-25, 25-12, 16-14) against the Panthers.

“I’m really proud of them and I think that they’re ready. Our younger kids have started to step up and even become leaders at practice,” Clarke said.

She added Benjamin’s budding difference-makers, including two freshmen and four sophomores, have been taught well with Havlicek, an Auburn volleyball commit, and Smith leading the way.

Wednesday wasn’t Havlicek’s “greatest” night on offense, battling six hitting errors although she led the team with 16 kills. However, her 6-foot-3 frame and athleticism accounted for 17 digs, which offered the Bucs a deal of much-needed stability on defense.

“When Grace decides to take over, she can beat any team in Palm Beach County and beyond,” Clarke said.

“Sometimes when she’s not having her best offensive game, she tends to really step it up on defense and that’s more than we could ask for. Some players will just completely shut down,” Clarke said.

Not Havlicek.

“She’ll literally run through a brick wall for this team,” Clarke said. She’s starting to see the same tendencies in sophomore middle hitter Brenna Hasey, who Benjamin is counting on for peak production in the postseason.

Calling the youngster “truly amazing,” Clarke said she’s “never seen a kid work harder” than Hasey.

“She’s very hard on herself so we’re working through some of that, but to see her get some big blocks and put the ball away, she’s a real leader out there for us and she’s come a long way since her freshman year,” Clarke said.

Hasey had five kills, four blocks, three digs, and two assists against the Warriors. As the season wraps up, she’s hitting .257 and is second on the team in kills behind Havlicek, who’s currently averaging five per set.

“She’s out there. Defense, offense, it doesn’t matter. If the game is on the line, she wants that ball, so I’m really looking forward to seeing her help lead this team through the postseason.”

Emilee Smarr is the high school sports reporter for the Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.