Horns set for next step

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Horns set for next step

Sports

Friday, 04 November 2011 12:19

News-Gazette Photo/Andrew Sullivan

Harmony’s Nia Frederick (14) and Osceola’s Kristina Wendland dual at the net during their regional quarterfinal volleyball game at the Longhorn gym. Harmony won in three games to advance to Tuesday’s regional semifinal at Lake Minneola.
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Harmony at Hawks in semis Tuesday

By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor
The good news for the Harmony Lady Longhorns volleyball team as it prepares for Tuesday’s 7 p.m. regional semifinal at Lake Minneola is that it won’t have to play Ocala Vanguard.

Vanguard for the past two years sent Harmony home in the semifinal round, but a new regional alignment and an experienced Lady Longhorns roster looks promising for a deeper run.
Harmony began its quest for the 2011 Class 7A state volleyball championship Tuesday by beating Osceola, 26-24, 25-20, 25-18, in the regional quarterfinals at the Longhorns gym.
The Lady Longhorns, 20-8, boast a balanced attack that features seniors Marie Gilbert, Nia Frederick and Alicia Palm up front, along with talented junior Kendall Pollack.
Junior setter Genesis Viera had 30 assists Tuesday.
“The girls here believe,” Coach Eric Trowbridge said after the Osceola game. “They’ve felt the heartbreak and the disappointment the past couple of years. They understand what it takes to be successful at this level.”
Viera, the Osceola News-Gazette Player of the Year for 2010, said dispatching Osceola in the regional quarterfinal was a good test for Harmony.
“Really, because they are a rival and a very good team. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. We worked 10 times as hard in practice to get ready for them,” she said. “We came out a little shaky and had to get over that, but once we did, we played well.”
Osceola, 19-8, was up by six points in the first game and led 17-14 in the second game before the Longhorns went on a 7-0 run while Palm served to take control.
Osceola hitter Natalie McClain was good on 16 of 25 kill opportunities, and libero Colleen Arago had 24 digs. Setter Madison McGehee had 19 assists.
“We played pretty well and could have taken those first two games,” OHS Coach Carrie Palmi said. “The first game was a heartbreaker because we controlled the game until the end and then we made mistakes we normally don’t make as a team.”
Gilbert said Harmony is prepared for the postseason thanks to a rugged regular season schedule that saw the team compete in two tournaments against outstanding competition.
“That really helped. The noise, the excitement, the competition at those tournaments prepared us for what’s coming,” she said. “At the (regional) semifinal level, you expect everybody you run into to bring it.”
First-year school Lake Minneola, 17-4, advanced to the semifinal round by beating St. Cloud 25-16, 25-18, 25-19. The Lady Bulldogs finished 14-14.
“We actually played pretty well, just too many errors and a couple weak spots,” St. Cloud Coach Ettie Singleton said. “I’m proud of all the girls for the accomplishment.”
Singleton said Tuesday’s match between Harmony and Lake Minneola will be closely contested.
“Like in baseball, the team with the fewest errors will win,” she said.
Osceola’s Palmi said Harmony’s hitter, Alicia Palm, was impressive against OHS.
“I think their strongest hitter is Palm, and I thought she played a very solid game with few errors and showed a mature presence on the court,” Palmi said.
Harmony and Lake Minneola, which beat OHS in five games for the 7A-5 district championship, did not meet this season. Trowbridge said that he knows several Hawks players from club volleyball. The winner advances to the regional final Nov. 12.
“They aren’t the typical new school team. They have some talented players and they have a good coach,” Trowbridge said. “It’s going to be a challenge for us.”
But, one that Gilbert and her teammates are prepared to meet. She said the team is committed to its goal of playing at the state tournament.
“One team, one dream. We talk about it every day,” Gilbert said.