Girls Volleyball: District Tournaments Preview

Elayna Johnson spikes the ball over the net during a drill in practice at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, Fla. on Wednesday, August 25, 2021. Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.

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Posted October 17, 2021 | By James Blevins
james@ocalagazette.com

After almost two months of regular season play, district championship week has finally arrived for local girls’ volleyball teams.

Here is a preview of what’s on the schedule for each prep squad as tournaments begin on Oct. 18.

Trinity Catholic Celtics

District: 3A-3

Regular Season Record: 19-4 overall, 0-0 district

Tournament Host: Keystone Heights High School

Dates: Oct. 18-22

The 2020 defending 3A state champions (as well as defending district champions) are the No. 1 seed in District 3A-3 this year, and as a result have earned a bye on Oct. 18 and 19.

The Celtics, who enter the tournament with a 19-4 overall record, won’t play until Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 5 p.m. when they first face the winner of Monday’s match between No. 4 seed Interlachen and No. 5 seed P.K Yonge in the semifinals.

Trinity Catholic didn’t previously play Interlachen or P.K. Yonge in 2021. In fact, the Celtics haven’t faced any district opponents during the regular season.

Each match, regardless of who gets through, will be a fresh challenge for the school.

Other quarterfinal matchups include No. 2 seed and tournament host Keystone Heights vs. No. 7 Umatilla and No. 3 seed Father Lopez vs. No. 6 seed Crescent City—both matches are scheduled for Oct. 19.

All four of Trinity Catholic’s losses during the regular season came from invitation-only tournaments. It remains quite undefeated against area teams, dropping only one set all year to an inter-county rival (Forest).

The district championship match is scheduled for Oct. 22 at 7 p.m.

Vanguard Knights, Lake Weir Hurricanes and Belleview Rattlers

District: 5A-5

Regular Season Records: Vanguard (8-17 overall, 1-0 district); Lake Weir (3-15, 0-2); Belleview (13-12, 4-1)

Tournament Host: Vanguard High School

Dates: Oct. 18-21

Host Vanguard enters the District 5A-5 tournament the No. 1 seed. Due to a bye, it won’t start play until Oct. 19 in the semifinals.

The Knights will face the winner of Oct. 18’s quarterfinal match between No. 4 Citrus and No. 5 Lake Weir at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

Vanguard has yet to face the Citrus Hurricanes in 2021, but the Knights earned their one and only district win against Lake Weir on Oct. 7, winning the match 3-0.

Lake Weir’s match against a similarly-mascoted Citrus team is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. on Monday. It is the first time the Lady ‘Canes have seen Citrus all year.

No. 3 seed Belleview plays No. 6 seed Leesburg in the second quarterfinal match on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. The winner of that match will face the No. 2 seed Lecanto Panthers on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.

The Rattlers beat the Yellow Jackets in both of their meetings during the regular season, defeating them in their season opener on Aug. 24 and in their season closer on Oct. 14. Belleview won both bookend matches 3-0.

Belleview beat Lake Weir twice during the regular season as well—3-0 on Sept. 2 and 3-0 on Oct. 5—but lost to Vanguard in its lone match against the Knights, 3-0, on Sept. 28.

None of the three local teams have faced Lecanto in 2021.

The district final is scheduled for Oct. 21 at 6 p.m.

Forest Wildcats

District: 6A-3

Regular Season Record: 14-10 overall, 2-1 district

Tournament Host: Forest High School, Various Cities

Dates: Oct. 19-22

No. 3 seed Forest takes on No. 6 seed Buchholz on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. at Forest High School.

The quarterfinal match will decide who travels to Leon High School on Oct. 21 to face the winner of No. 2 Chiles and No. 7 Columbia in the subsequent District 6A-3 semifinals.

Leon is the No. 1 seed and doesn’t play till a winner of the No. 4 Lincoln vs. No. 5 Gainesville quarterfinal match is decided on Oct. 19.

The Lions are scheduled to play the winner of Tuesday’s match on Thursday at 7 p.m.

The Wildcats have previously defeated the Buchholz Bulldogs twice during the regular season—the first time on Sept. 9 (3-0) and the second time on Sept. 21 (3-1).

Forest’s only loss in the district came at the hands of Leon on Sept. 23, 3-1.

The district final is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 22 at Leon High School. First serve is at 6 p.m.

St. John Lutheran Saints

District: 2A-9

Regular Season Record: 15-5 overall, 2-0 district

Tournament Host: St. John Lutheran School

Dates: Oct. 18-21

At 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct.18, St. John Lutheran, the No. 1 seed in District 2A-9, will face the No. 8 seed First Baptist Christian Academy at home.

If St. John wins Monday’s quarterfinal match, it will next face the winner of another quarterfinal between the No. 4 seed Meadowbrook Academy and the No. 5 seed Calvary Christian Academy on Oct. 19 at 5 p.m.

Other quarterfinal matches taking place on Monday are between No. 2 Redeemer Christian and No. 7 Warner Christian Academy, as well as No. 3 First Academy and No. 6 Trinity Christian Academy. The winner of each respective quarterfinal will play each other on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the semifinals.

The Saints sport a 2-0 district record in 2021, beating First Baptist on Sept. 16, 3-0, and First Academy on Oct. 12, 3-0.

The championship match is scheduled for Oct. 21 at 6 p.m.

North Marion Colts and Dunnellon Tigers

District: 4A-4

Regular Season Records: North Marion (8-9 overall, 1-0 district); Dunnellon (3-10, 0-1)

Tournament Host: Santa Fe High School

Dates: Oct. 18-21

The No. 2 seed North Marion Colts gets a bye on Monday. They play the winner of the quarterfinal match between No. 3 seed Crystal River and No. 6 seed Dunnellon on Oct. 19 in the semifinals.

The Tigers play the Pirates at 7 p.m. on Monday at Santa Fe High School in Alachua.

Dunnellon comes into the tournament without facing a single district opponent other than the Colts. North Marion defeated the Tigers on Aug. 26, 3-0, for its lone district win of the season.

Both teams will need to navigate No. 1 seed Santa Fe.

The Raiders have a 22-3 overall record in 2021. They made it as far as the regional final in 2020 before losing to the eventual Class 4A state champion Bishop Kenny, 3-2.

If North Marion win its semifinal match on Tuesday, it will likely face the juggernaut that is Santa Fe on Thursday in the district final on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. And if it’s the Tigers that the Colts face, and Dunnellon is triumphant over North Marion, the same challenge awaits it.

Any team fortunate enough to advance to the final must reckon with the perennial threat that is the Raiders girls’ volleyball program—that is if that team wishes to see the promised land that is the state volleyball tournament in the coming weeks.

West Port Wolf Pack

District: 7A-1

Regular Season Record: 8-5 overall, 1-0 district

Tournament Host: Oakleaf High School, Various Cities

Dates: Oct. 19-21

West Port enters its district tournament as the No. 6 seed. It will be hosted by No. 3 seed Creekside on Tuesday, Oct. 19. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.

The Wolf Pack faced one district opponent in 2021, Sandalwood, on Oct. 10, winning 3-2.

Sandalwood is seeded fifth in the tournament and faces host Oakleaf on its court for the second of three quarterfinal matches to be decided on Tuesday. Oakleaf is seeded fourth.

No. 2 Mandarin hosts No. 7 Flagler Palm Coast for the third quarterfinal match.

If West Port wins, it will face the winner of Mandarin and Flagler Palm Coast on Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. Oakleaf High School is hosting the semifinals.

No. 1 seed Bartram Trail faces the winner of Oakleaf and Sandalwood on Wednesday as well after skipping the first day of the tournament.

The District 7A-1 championship match is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. Site of championship game is to be decided after the semifinals are completed.

*The Ocala Christian Academy Lady Crusaders wrapped up their 2021-22 season on Oct. 9, losing in the first round of the Florida Christian Athletic League tournament against the Redeemer Christian Lions, 3-0.