St. Cloud claims first-evert regional playoff win in five grueling sets over Dr. Phillips
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He's levitating: St. Cloud's Enrique Soto goes up high to put down a hit in the Bulldogs' five-set regional playoff win Tuesday over Dr. Phillips. PHOTO/KATIE WILLIAMS
Down two sets to one and trailing early in the fourth and fifth sets, St. Cloud won its first-ever boys volleyball regional playoff match Tuesday in comeback fashion.
With backs to the wall, the Bulldogs (20-6) leaned heavily on hitters Enrique Soto and Will Sutphen to pull out a 25-13, 14-25, 21-25, 17-15 at home. The win puts St. Cloud in Friday's regional semifinal at Tampa HEAT (24-3).
"Will played great in the fifth set, and Enrique showed his potential," Coach Tommy Billiterri said. "You need that from seniors and leaders who don't want to lose."
Sutphen, an Ohio State signee, had seven of his 17 kills in the fifth set, and made a block on the final point to seal a win that looked to be an easy one early for St. Cloud after rolling the Panthers (14-9) in the first set. But the Bulldogs' fell behind early in the next two sets and their usually reliable hitting game wasn't finding spots on the Dr. Phillips' side of the floor, and they suddenly found themselves in a hole.
But, like good Bulldogs, they quit digging and climbed their way out in the fourth set, maintaining a slim lead all the way through as Soto (13 kills) scored three of the St. Cloud's final five points.
In the race-to-15 final game, St. Cloud again fell behind, but always had an answer. With Soto setting, Sutphen laid down three straight kills and four over five points to tie the set at 6. But the Panthers broke out a hit game of their own to take leads of 11-7 and 13-10. But Soto and Sutphen had back-to-back kills, and when Sutphen blocked a Panther hit attempt it was 14-14.
Dr. Phillips' Samuel Yang put down a kill to make it 15-14; its was their final point. Levi Butler blocked a hit to tie it, Sutphen's kill gave the Bulldogs match point, and they capitalized when Sutphen blocked Dr. Phillips' final hit attempt, setting off a wild celebration for the school's first regional win in the sport.
"I kind of felt the first set was given to us, and then we got a rude awakening," Soto said after the match. "Once we got down, in every huddle I was yelling at everyone to step up and lead."
Setter Grady McCoy agreed that a false sense of security may have set in after the first set, and the only answer was to keep setting the bi hitters.
"In the end they delivered," he said. "And Will sure showed up in the fifth, hunh?"
Because he did, the Bulldogs will show up Friday in Tampa.
