The Seminole Ridge High School boys volleyball team has established itself as one of the top volleyball programs in Palm Beach County. Now the Hawks are focused on establishing themselves as one of the finest in the state.
On Tuesday, May 3, the Hawks (22-6) took a big step toward being recognized as a statewide powerhouse when they dominated William T. Dwyer High School in the FHSAA Class 2A regional quarterfinal match in straight sets (25-20, 25-17 and 25-7).
Seminole Ridge head boys volleyball coach Scott Barnwell said his team did what it needed to do to win.
“We started out slow defensively, but we improved from there,” Barnwell said. “Our passing and serving were spot-on tonight.”
The Hawks were led by sophomore Owen Holowecky, who had 35 assists. Senior Nicholas Coffey won 22 serves, including three aces in the final game. Senior Zach Puentes had a huge presence at the net, delivering 21 kills, all of them at timely points in the match. Senior Bryson Hayden had 29 digs during the game against the visiting Panthers.
Puentes was all smiles at the end of the match.
“It was a good win tonight,” Puentas said. “We had lots of confidence. We got an early lead, and that helped.”
The Hawks, which won the Florida high school boys volleyball state championship in 2011, advanced to the Class 2A regional semifinals on Friday, May 6. They will host the Suncoast High School Chargers at 7 p.m. The Hawks have won 13 out of their last 14 matches.
Two other boys volleyball teams from the western communities had regional quarterfinal games on Tuesday night.
The King’s Academy Lions (21-5) traveled to Greenacres to play the John I. Leonard High School Lancers. TKA prevailed in four sets (25-10, 25-16, 26-28 and 25-16).
The Lions now advance to the regional semifinals on Friday against the Park Vista High School Cobras, who defeated the Wellington High School Wolverines (25-14, 25-6 and 25-15).
The ultimate goal of every high school boys volleyball team in Florida is to qualify for the FHSAA’s boys volleyball state finals, which will be held May 13-14 at Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy High School in Southwest Ranches. The Seminole Ridge Hawks have a very good chance of getting there.
