Cardinal Gibbons sees its run end

The Cardinal Gibbons boys volleyball team enjoyed an impressive playoff run before falling short against Southwest Miami in four sets in the FHSAA state championship match at Polk State College in Winter Haven on Saturday night.

Southwest Miami defeated Cardinal Gibbons 3-1 (25-22,

23-25, 25-19, 25-14) to capture the school’s third state title in seven appearances. Cardinal Gibbons, which reached the state championship match for the third time in school history, previously won state titles in 2005 and 2018.

In the state championship match, Cardinal Gibbons senior outside hitter Logan Keothavy recorded a teamhigh 17 kills, 21 digs and four blocks. Senior middle blocker Thiago Zamprogno had 13 kills and senior outside hitter Daniel Sappia added 12 kills and 13 digs.

“Our team was led by three of our seniors,” Cardinal Gibbons coach Mike Zarate said. “Logan, Thiago and Daniel were the big brothers to everyone. On the court and in practice, they held everyone to a standard. They led by example with their attitude and work ethic. The three leaders made sure that everyone on the team was part of the team no matter what year and skill level they were at. They were to think about the person next to them before they thought about themselves, which made them so resilient.”

Southwest Miami entered as the No. 1 seed while Cardinal Gibbons (26-4) was the No. 3 seed at the state tournament. Cardinal Gibbons had a 14-match winning streak snapped in the state final.

“All season, we knew that nothing would be perfect,” Zarate said. “Some days, we would be off either with serving or passing. What made our team so resilient was how humble they stayed, knowing that we were going to be one of the top teams in the state. We knew there are a lot of good teams in the state and that at any given time, another team would be playing better than us.”

Cardinal Gibbons won a five-set thriller against Winter Park in the state semifinal (25-23, 25-14, 23-25, 22-25, 15-10). Cardinal Gibbons avenged a loss to Winter Park in the state semifinal from last season. Sappia recorded 14 kills and 12 digs. Keothavy registered 13 kills, eight digs and two aces. Zamprogno added 11 kills and five digs. Junior libero Callan Fry also contributed with 14 digs.

“We knew that would be one of our toughest matches as they have a very talented roster,” Zarate said. “It always feels good to avenge a loss. All of these teams were very talented and at any given time, we could win or lose to anyone.”

Cardinal Gibbons rallied after trailing by two sets in the state quarterfinal against Lake Howell for a 3-2 dramatic victory (18-25, 17-25, 25-16, 25-20, 15-13). Sappia recorded 21 kills and 14 digs. Keothavy had 19 kills and 15 digs. Zamprogno registered 13 kills, five digs, three blocks and two aces while Fry added 24 digs.

Cardinal Gibbons, the No.1 seed in their region, had swept Pompano Beach, Calvary Christian and Boca Raton to capture the regional championship.

Zamprogno is heading to play volleyball at UCLA while Keothavy will compete at North Greenville University and Sappia will also play at Hobart College.

King’s Academy (26-2), in its second year as a program, reached the state tournament for the first time. King’s Academy delivered a strong performance against Cypress Bay in a three-set victory in the state quarterfinal (25-18, 25-21, 29-27). Senior Logan Taylor recorded 11 kills, nine digs and four aces. Senior Saulius Vilkelis had 11 kills, 11 assists and 10 digs. Junior Micah Tumas added nine kills, nine digs, four aces and three blocks.

Southwest Miami defeated King’s Academy 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-23) in the state semifinal match. Vilkelis had 12 kills, Taylor recorded 11 kills and Tumas added eight kills in the loss. King’s Academy had won 23 consecutive matches entering the state semifinal. The Lions had dropped a five-set match to Freedom during the regular season in March.

“Southwest Miami played flawless and they had amazing ball control,” King’s Academy coach Christy Lee Taylor said. “We did not play our best match. We knew it was going to be hard competing against an experienced team.”

King’s Academy, the No. 1 seed in their region, earned the regional title after they swept Trinity Christian, Dwyer and Park Vista. Taylor was impressed with her team’s growth this season in the second year.

“We had a lot of work to do and I was proud of their development this offseason,” she said. “We have an outstanding group of young men. We had to compete against a lot more experienced and seasoned players and teams and we still were able to have success.”

Cypress Bay (23-3) finished with its best record in school history and they reached the state quarterfinal for the second time. Cypress Bay coach Breno Ertty played for the school the last time they reached the state tournament in 2013.

Cypress Bay had a 10-match winning streak entering the state quarterfinal. Senior Andres Montero had eight kills and eight digs and sophomore Tyler Johnson added seven kills in the three-set loss.

“King’s Academy served as good as any team I have seen against us,” Ertty said. “We kept fighting and made a great run at the end. King’s Academy was consistent and they played well.”

Cypress Bay, the No. 1 seed in their region, cruised to a regional title as they swept Archbishop McCarthy, Flanagan and South Broward.

“We had a really well-balanced team,” Ertty said. “We would have a combination of different players picking it up on offense and defense and it made us a better team. We prepared the right way.

The guys wanted it so bad and to have that feeling to make it to states. It was a great experience for them.”

Zamprogno