By BRENDAN HALL
After losing to DeLand in straight sets early in the season, the girls volleyball team had a score to settle and after a dominating 3-1 win in the regional finals, they settled it.
It only took the team four games to knock out the 27-3 DeLand Bulldogs, ranked 9th in the state, and move on to the state semifinals. The first game was all Braves as they controlled the net with powerful kills and stiff blocking en route to a 25-19 win.
The second game was a bit closer, but thanks to solid contributions from sophomores Caroline Jordan and Megan Chevalier, the girls came out on top again 25-21.
“It was exhilarating; I felt like a champion,” Chevalier said.
The Bulldogs refused to give up though and, led by middle hitter Lauren Apetz, they began to stage their comeback, playing cohesively down the stretch and overpowering the Braves to take the third game 25-23.
However, the comeback was quickly halted as the girls went right back to outplaying and outhustling the Bulldogs, taking the fourth game and the match 25-19.
The Lady Braves play at 8 p.m. this Friday, Nov. 19, at The Lakeland Center. Tickets will be $8 and a spirit bus will shuttle students to and from the game for $5. Students can pick up a permission form for the spirit bus in the main office.