On April 10, the boys volleyball team (17-10) defeated the Apopka Blue Darters (16-13) in four sets.
In the first set, both teams started strong. A double block by seniors Parker Blanchard and Brett Maneri put the team in the lead, 5-7. The teams played a tough match keeping a close score. Senior Toddrick Northington’s block made the score 24-20. Apopka managed one more point before the boys pulled through to end the set. The boys won the match 25-21.
The Braves played a strong second set. Blanchard’s kill put the team in the lead, 9-6. The score increasingly improved as the team continued to play strong. A double block by senior Buddy Best and sophomore Douglas Page increased the lead 12-6. The boys continued to increase their lead with several strong plays. Best’s kill helped the team get closer to a second win, 24-13. Apopka served into the net ending the game, 25-13.
The third set favored Apopka. The score remained close, but after an 11-11 tie Apopka started working together. The boys put up a tough fight, but an out of bounds serve ended the set with Apopka in the lead 21-25.
In the fourth set the boys came back stronger than before. They took an early lead with a double block by Best and sophomore Liam Duffy. The team continued to work together with fewer errors than before. Duffy made a kill to increase the lead 9-4. Another double block by Maneri and Best put the team close to a win, 19-12. Apopka closed the gap scoring six points. Then Blanchard made a key block to stop Apopka. The set ended with senior Karl Schaefer making a kill to give the team the win, 25-20, and ending the game 3-1.
The boys will take on Oak Ridge April 12 at 7 p.m. in the Wayne Rickman Gymnasium.