St. Edward’s completes reverse sweep, beats Pine School in Class 1A showdown
· Yahoo Sports
HOBE SOUND — Behind the guidance of first-year head coaches, St. Edward’s and Pine School are ranked among the top girls volleyball teams in Class 1A as the regular season nears its conclusion.
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The two teams clashed Thursday in a postseason tuneup just over a week before district tournaments are scheduled to begin. While the Knights came out strong, it was the Pirates who left "The Dungeon" with the last laugh.
St. Edward’s rallied from an 0-2 deficit to complete a reverse sweep and claim a five-set victory. Set scores were 18-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-11, 15-9 on Thursday night at Pine School.
“We’ve been practicing all season on mental toughness and being disciplined and consistent. The timeouts during the match were just reminders that this is what we’ve been training for all year,” St. Edward’s head coach Kelsey Fox said. “Really, having them come together and push for that is all on them. They put in the work.”
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Fox credited improved communication among her players for the comeback. The visitors avoided the sweep by pulling away late in the third set before using two 7-1 runs to breeze through the fourth.
A kill by freshman outside hitter Vitoria Claret and a block by junior Bodhi Lindley tied the deciding set at 5-5. St. Edward’s then scored seven of the next eight points, recording aces from sophomores Grace Clemente and Alexandra Jefferson while capitalizing on several Pine mistakes. The Knights committed two service errors, two net violations and a hitting error during that stretch.
“We started strong, but if you get lackadaisical, you’re giving another team a chance to take over,” Pine School head coach Kendall Holmes said. “That team did a great job of making adjustments against us, and we didn’t do as great a job responding to that. It’s a lesson for them, so that’s great, but it’s definitely something we need to work on.”
A kill by Violet Clemente sealed the Pirates’ fifth win in their past six matches. The eighth grader finished with 12 kills, matching junior Nevin Waddell. Grace Clemente led the Pirates with 14 kills. The trio also contributed three aces apiece.
Jefferson and Violet Clemente each recorded four blocks. Waddell posted a team-high 15 digs.
This story will be updated.
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at 772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: St. Edward’s completes reverse sweep, beats Pine School in Class 1A showdown
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