In the month of May, the boys varsity volleyball team from Seminole Ridge High School has been ignoring the seedings for the state volleyball tournament. Instead of playing like a lower-seeded team and losing on the road to a higher-seeded team, the Hawks have focused on executing the basic fundamentals of volleyball and have kept winning.
On May 10, Seminole Ridge, ranked No. 6 in Section 2, traveled to play Park Vista High School, which was seeded No. 2. After playing Park Vista during the regular season on March 28 and losing 2-0 (25-10, 25-17), Seminole Ridge was the clear underdog in the regional semifinal game. However, Seminole Ridge came out stronger and more together. As a result, they prevailed against Park Vista, 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-18) to advance to the Section 2 final on Tuesday, May 14.
Again, Seminole Ridge was required to hit the road and travel to the King’s Academy to face the top-ranked Lions. The game was another rematch of a regular season encounter on May 2 when TKA prevailed 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-14) against Seminole Ridge. On May 14, the Hawks turned the tables on the Lions and triumphed 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-18). This win against TKA gave Seminole Ridge the Section 2 championship.
Now, with an overall record of 23-7 and winners of five out of their last six matches, Seminole Ridge has qualified for this year’s Florida High School Athletic Association boys volleyball state finals, which will be held May 17-18 on the campus of Polk State College in Winter Haven.
The next opponent for Seminole Ridge will be another team that will be the clear favorite. It will be Winter Park High School, which is sporting an undefeated record of 27-0. The Seminole Ridge vs. Winter Park match is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 17. If Seminole Ridge defeats Winter Park, then the Hawks will advance to the FHSAA state semifinals.
The King’s Academy boys volleyball team finished with a record of 24-6.
