Big things come in small packages.
The Newberry volleyball team only has one player above 5-foot-8 inches tall.
But on Tuesday night the No. 2 seed Panthers (15-14) rallied from an early 1-0 deficit and knocked off top seed Williston 16-25, 25-21, 25-21, 19-25, 15-13 on the road in a Class 1A-Region 4 Final.
“It’s just so amazing,” said Newberry senior outside hitter Hailey Tharp. “I love this team. We always play united and we play for each other. We hold that rope and obviously, like I’ve said before at Sonic (Drive-in), we’re not a big team but we get up there and we fight, and we always fight, and when we have that energy, we’re unstoppable.”
The atmosphere was electric in the Devils Den, where Williston beat Newberry in five sets in last year’s region final.
But this year Newberry got some revenge and advanced to the school’s first state semifinal since a 3-0 loss to Sneads in the 1A state title game in 2020.
“This time we get to win in five and it’s the grit of these kids,” said Newberry coach Hank Rone, who was the head coach on that state runner-up team. “These girls, even though they make mistakes, they just fight through it, and then they just don’t quit.”
Tharp, who only stands 5’3, finished with 11 kills.
After Williston won the opening set, including a stretch where the Red Devils scored 10 of 11 points for a 21-12 lead, Tharp helped get the Panthers even in the second set.
She broke a 15-15 tie with a kill and added another one late for a 22-21 lead en route to a 25-21 win to tie the match at 1-1.
“Tonight, we did exactly what we said we were going to do,” Newberry senior middle blocker Sarah Watson said. “We stayed consistent, we had a good attitude, and we trusted each other no matter what on the court. You make a mistake, that’s OK your team trusts you, you’re going to get the next one.”
An ace by senior Hanna Templeton (13 digs, 35 assists) gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead with a 25-21 win.
However, Williston responded to win the fourth set, 25-19, to tie the match again.
“I don’t think we could have asked for a better high school environment for a volleyball game,” said Williston coach Kevin Tiller. “Our girls came out and did what we asked them to do in the first set but we looked at them in that huddle when we came back out, and we said ‘hey, they’re not going to lay down, they’re not going to stop fighting, they’re going to bounce back,’ and they did.”
Rone showed some energy late when he questioned a call and drew a yellow card with his team down 13-12 in the final set following a kill by Williston senior Grace Dola (game-high 23 kills).
“Grace is an awesome player, but she just missed the ball, she went up and missed it and it hit her on the shoulder and the R1 (up referee) said it was a touch by us,” Rone said. “We weren’t near the net, she whiffed it and the ball hit her for the fourth touch, that’s a double. Sometimes as a coach you’ve got to show these athletes, they’ve got to know that coach is on their side.”
The yellow card seemed to give Newberry just the spark it needed to rally and win by scoring the final three points of the match.
“When I got the yellow card it was just showmanship for me to get it so they knew I was fighting for them,” Rone said. “And they fought through it. They responded and they came back and won the game.”
Newberry junior Chloe Jones, who had a double-double with 14 digs and 12 kills, summed up Tuesday’s thriller on Halloween the best.
“I’ve never been so happy, nervous, scared, excited, adrenaline-rushing, ever in my entire life, and I would not have wanted to do it with any other team,” Jones said. “I love these girls, I love this team, and I cannot wait for state.”
Following Rone’s yellow card, Watson and junior McKenzie Moses combined for a block and a 14-13 lead, sending Jones back to serve with a trip to the Class 1A state semifinals awaiting.
“It was a lot of over and in, over and in, talking to myself,” Jones said. “It was a mental game for sure but I’m just glad I could do that for my team. I’m glad it was an ace and we finished it.”
Senior Morgan Geiger finished with 25 digs and three aces for Williston (18-11), while senior Baylin Brooks and junior Chanitey James finished with nine kills each.
It finished off another good season for the Lady Red Devils, who were trying to make it back to the state semifinals.
“Elite eight this year, final four last year,” Tiller said. “We’re two points away, a couple of errors away maybe from being back in the final four, but kudos to Hank Rone and every girl over there on that Panther volleyball team, they just played their butts off.”
Junior Malana Kennard had 17 digs, and sophomore Meadow Moses added 13 digs for Newberry, which will play top seed Branford at 1 p.m. in Monday’s Class 1A state semifinals at Polk State College in Winter Haven.
The top seeded Buccaneers (24-4) advanced with a 25-11, 25-7, 21-25, 25-22 win against No. 2 Union County (Lake Butler) in the 1A-Region 3 Final.
2023 FHSAA Volleyball state playoffs
Tuesday, Oct. 31
Class 1A-4A Regional Finals
Class 1A-Region 3
No. 1 Branford d. No. 2 Union County (Lake Butler) 25-11, 25-7, 21-25, 25-22
Class 1A-Region 4
No. 2 Newberry d. No. 1 Williston 16-25, 25-21, 25-21, 19-25, 15-13
Class 2A-Region 1
No. 1 Oak Hall d. No. 2 Christ’s Church Academy (Jacksonville) 22-25, 25-21, 9-25, 25-17, 15-6
Wednesday, Nov. 1
Class 4A-Region 2
No. 2 Santa Fe (Alachua) at No. 1 Bishop Moore (Orlando), 7 p.m.
