Oak Hall School is playing its best volleyball at the right time of the year.

On Tuesday night, the No. 5 seed Eagles were in control for most of the night and swept No. 4 seed Providence (Jacksonville) 25-23, 25-18, 25-18 at home in a Class 2A-Region 1 Quarterfinal.

It was the ninth straight win for Oak Hall (17-2), which has only dropped six out of 54 sets all season.

“I think what was really key for us, we served aggressively, and we hit our zones tremendously well,” said Oak Hall coach Perry McDonald. “Our kids came through and served their zones, generated out of system passes on the other side of the net and that impaired, I think, their A level attacking game, and we were able to capitalize on that. I didn’t see this just being a 3-set match though.”

The host Eagles set the tone early, racing out to a 5-0 lead in the opening set on an ace by senior Cassidy McDonald. They stretched it to a 9-2 lead on a kill by sophomore Kendylle Bishop.

The Stallions (13-7) rallied and took their first lead, 16-15, on a kill by freshman Hannah Oliinyk and an ace by 6’0 junior Isabela Lopez, which clipped the net for a 17-15 lead.

A kill by Providence junior Sophia Gillette gave the Stallions their largest lead at 18-15.

Lopez, who entered the game with 330 kills, had three aces and a kill during the 6-0 run.

However, the Eagles rallied for a 20-18 lead on a kill by sophomore Paige Sherrod and four service points by senior Emma Raulerson (15 service points, 2 aces, 4 digs).

The Stallions closed the gap to 24-23 on another kill by Lopez, but OHS junior Hannah Timm (8 kills, 4 digs) had the decisive kill for a 1-0 lead.

“That big kid who is blocking on the other side of the net (6’2 middle hitter Julianna Baskin – 7 kills), she was a force and so that was one we had to reckon with as well,” Perry McDonald said. “As we scouted her out, we knew based upon her block stats and what we had seen on her that she was going to come through and make a lot of great plays at the net.”

Providence’s height advantage made the play of the 5’7 Bishop (7 kills, 2 blocks, 1 ace, 2 digs) even more impressive, as she finished the night with seven kills against the taller Providence players.

“She (Lopez) is a really good outside and I’m a middle blocker so I was going against her and that 6’2 middle (Baskin),” said Bishop, who noted fast tempo and placing the ball were the key to her success. “She was blocking me and I’m an undersized hitter and it was a challenge for me.”

Cassidy McDonald, who finished with 24 assists, added 19 service points, five aces, two blocks, and five kills, including kills with her back to the net, the last of which gave Oak Hall a 25-18 win in the second set.

“Holy cow,” her dad said. “How good is she? Some of those that are passed up there about a foot above the tape are things of beauty. It’s like Houdini, now you see it and now you don’t. Her court presence and her intelligence are tremendous, hands down.”

The Eagles led for most of the night. Some of that had to do with the patience they displayed against Providence’s aggressive hitters.

“I think a lot of times when you have attackers that are being set off the net, sometimes the block gets a little bit anxious and jumps the gun and gets up there early, especially on the back row swings, and so I tried to pride myself in getting them to be a little bit more patient on the block,” Perry McDonald said. “It’s better to be a tiny bit late when that hitter’s off the net because then you can see where the ball is being contacted, get it at the peak of your jump and then hopefully finish, and there were some beautiful blocks at big times.”

Junior Haley Janes added five kills and three digs for Oak Hall, which will travel to top seed Trinity Catholic (Ocala) this Saturday for a Class 2A-Region Semifinal.

The Celtics (18-3), who are ranked No. 1 in Class 2A and No. 6 overall in Florida, swept No. 8 seed Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville), 25-11, 25-6, 25-17.

“I need a really big slingshot because this is going to be a David vs. Goliath matchup and this is what we’ve been expecting,” Perry McDonald said. “This is what we want. (Coach) Jeff Reavis is a dear friend. He is the most fun and intelligent guy that I’ve ever coached with in my 28 years of coaching, so I consider it a privilege to go down there and play the No. 1 team in Class 2A. We’ll try our best to come through and live up to the expectations and put together a good game plan along the way.”