By Marshall Tempest
Reporter
The Apopka boys volleyball team defeated No. 58 Windermere in the semifinal round of the 3A District 4 Tournament Wednesday night, securing a 3-2 nail-biting victory. The win secured the team’s spot in the district championship against No. 27 West Orange, which occurred Thursday night after press time.
Apopka vs. Windermere 
The Windermere Wolverines were highly favored coming into this match on account of a better record, higher rank and more substantial wins than the Blue Darters this season. But that didn’t matter when Apopka took the floor, said coach Brian Mater.
“I told everybody yesterday, and Coach Sarah [Egbers] said the same thing, ‘We’re going to win tonight.'” Mater said. “They had our number the first part of the season, but we came into their house and showed them who we are.”
Windermere had already defeated Apopka twice this year, (3-0, 2-1), but Apopka’s eight seniors were determined not to let their season end against the Wolverines.
The game started the same way it ended – with a hard-fought battle. The Blue Darters started out great and took an early lead of 3-1. The Wolverines quickly fought back and took the lead 8-6, with most of their points coming from Blue Darter mistakes.
Apopka didn’t waver, though. They tied the game at 10-10 and then took the lead just minutes later, 14-12. The Blue Darters began to separate from the Wolverines on the scoreboard, leading 16-12, but the Wolverines called a timeout to slow the Apopka momentum.
The timeout and whatever adjustments the Wolverines talked about worked because they slowly but surely chipped away at the deficit. After a few minutes, Apopka was up 20-17, but Windermere was putting up a real fight.
The match went back and forth as each team took turns scoring, but Windermere began stacking points. Down just one point, with Apopka leading 23-22, the Wolverines looked poised and tied the game at 23-23. The Wolverines were able to squeak by with a 27-25 win in set one, fighting back from a four-point deficit.
Set two was just like set one, with Apopka and Windermere battling for the lead every possession. At the start of the set, Apopka and Windermere were neck and neck, but the Wolverines began to pull away, leading 10-5.
Apopka called a timeout to discuss adjustments and improve their mental game. Coach Sarah Egbers talked to her players during the timeout about not giving up. She pointed at the scoreboard and said, ” You’re not done.”
The game stayed close until late in the set, when Apopka closed the distance with the Wolverines. Fighting tooth and nail, the Blue Darters brought the game within one point, trailing 19-18, but they needed a way to get ahead and stay ahead.
The Blue Darters tied up the game at 23-23 before taking set two with a 26-24 victory after facing a five-point deficit at one point.
The Blue Darters easily won set three, 25-20, as they started to find a rhythm. But in set four, they fell back into their mistakes and lost the set 25-20.
The final set was a battle of pure will.
“A lot of these guys are seniors—we have eight seniors—and this could have been their last game tonight,” Mater said.
Windermere jumped out ahead to start the game, leading 4-2. It didn’t last long, though, as the Blue Darters stormed back to take a 7-6 lead.
Apopka began to inch ahead, then dominate, building a 12-7 advantage. But Windermere didn’t give up and attempted a comeback, trailing 14-11 with Apopka on match point.
Apopka would not be denied, winning set five 15-11 to advance to the district title game to face West Orange.
Mater said the lack of mistakes in the later sets made the difference. He was happy with the boys’ ability to learn from their mistakes and capitalize on the opportunities they had.
“That first set – I thought we were going to win,” Mater said. “I thought we were going to pull that off. We needed it to get away from a five-set game… It comes down to our mistakes; if we can limit our mistakes and not get in our heads, we can just play our game. That’s all we need to do. Keep it simple; play our game and win. And that’s what it took this time.”
Coach Mater praised the team for their ability to lock in mentally and emotionally in a very challenging game. He praised his seniors and specifically Logan Rogers for his leadership on the floor, the emotion he brings to the team, and his ability to control the game. Mater also praised younger players like junior Caden Magatha and freshman Colton Henson. He explained that the team will look toward Magatha a lot next year for leadership on and off the floor.
Apopka vs West Orange
Coming into the district title match, West Orange had a 20-3 record and was ranked 27th in the state. The Warriors were on a 12-game win streak and had beaten Apopka twice in the regular season (3-2, 2-0).
Mater told me that even though they didn’t have time to specifically game plan for West Orange, he was not worried about the team’s preparation.
“We know what West Orange is. We’ve already played against them,” Mater said. “So we’re going to keep playing our game… and keep it simple. Play our ball, limit the mistakes, and let our good hands touch the ball – but when they touch the ball, make sure it counts.”
If Apopka beats West Orange and secures the district title, they will be awarded a spot in the state championship tournament, which starts Tuesday, May 6.
