Vinnie Cammarano
Key Points
Apopka volleyball’s nine-game winning streak came to an end Tuesday as the Blue Darters fell to Lake Brantley 25-16, 25-15, 25-18 in their final regular-season match.
Lake Brantley (12-10) took an early 4-2 lead in the opening set of its senior night before extending the lead behind a series of kills. Kierra Taylor kept Apopka within reach with a kill to make it 10-5, and Taylor Cain later served an ace to cut the deficit to 15-11.
The Patriots answered with five straight points. Taylor added another big kill at 20-14, and Cain then set Marie Hughes in the middle for a kill. Two Apopka errors put Lake Brantley at set point, but Taylor kept the Blue Darters alive with another kill. The Patriots closed out the set, 25-16.
Lake Brantley carried its momentum into the second set, opening a 7-2 lead and eventually going ahead 10-3. Apopka began to fight back when Victoria Polusmak served two aces, cutting the deficit to 10-6.
After a rotation violation by Lake Brantley, a block from Taylor, a save by Isabel Romero and a Hughes kill brought the Blue Darters within two points at 15-13.
Lake Brantley responded with another run, pushing the lead to 20-15 before closing the set 25-15.
Apopka again found itself trailing early in the third set but refused to go quietly.
Hughes opened Apopka’s scoring with a booming kill, while Cain dumped over a kill. Polusmak later recorded a kill from the left side, and Cain set Taylor for a spike in the middle with Apopka down 11-6.
Hughes then connected with Cain for a kill, and Anais Ruiz served an ace as Apopka pulled within two points. Lake Brantley eventually regained control, but Apopka mounted another late push.
Violet Venning smashed a kill off the Patriots’ block, followed by a kill from Lillian Phillips that brought the Blue Darters within two points at 20-18. Lake Brantley answered with two kills to end the rally and secure the match.
Coach Brian Mater credited Lake Brantley’s veteran group while acknowledging the areas Apopka needs to improve before the postseason.
“You got to give it to Lake Brantley, they’re a very good school,” Mater said. “They exposed our weaknesses and our back row. We played, but we didn’t play like we normally do.”
The loss gives Apopka a clear focus heading into the district playoffs: clean up its defense and limit unforced errors.
“If we can’t get our serve receive down, we’re in trouble,” Mater said. “We really got to work on that and limit our errors. We made a tremendous amount of errors tonight, and you can’t have that as you move into this level… No matter what happens, it’s been a great season. I can’t take anything away from these girls. I’m very, very proud.”
Apopka (12-5) begins the district playoffs Monday, with the opponent and location to be determined.
