Regional playoffs start Wednesday, brackets announced Saturday
In match that started and ended with a thunderous spike by Cate Palmi, the Osceola Kowboys rolled to a District 7A-7 title with a convincing straight-set win over Harmony, 25-16, 25-13, 25-18 Thursday.
It was the 31st consecutive win over county opposition for the Lady Kowboys (24-4), dating back to a five-set loss to Tohopekaliga on Oct. 20, 2021. As the No. 2 ranked 7A team in the state, Osceola will host all three regional rounds with victories.
“I didn’t think we particularly sharp tonight,” Coach Carrie Palmi said. “Give Harmony credit, I thought they played a scrappy match. But it is now win-or-go-home time, so need to start playing our best because it only gets tougher from here.”
Osceola, behind Cate Palmi (15 kills), Jordin Southall (9 kills and 6 aces) and Delaney Webb (47 assists), pretty much controlled the match from start to finish.
They jumped out to comfortable leads in the first two games before trailing briefly in game three. But the serving of Southall keyed a 5-1 run to make it 13-8. Harmony fought back and forced an Osceola timeout when it cut the deficit to 14-12. Still, the Lady Kowboys took control again, scoring 11 of the next 17 points to take the match.
The Lady Kowboys received a boost from the play of junior Brooklyn Sippio, who contributed 10 kills. “She has definitely improved each year and even from match-to-match,” Palmi said. “Brooklyn is playing with a lot more confidence right now and that is just another weapon for us.”
Osceola will begin seeking its third Final Four appearance in the last four years when they host a 7A Region 2 quarterfinal match on Wed., Oct. 21. The state championship field will be announced after completion of district play this week and Palmi says the main competition to get back to the Final Four will come from Jupiter (19-4), Olympia (19-4), and Vero Beach (18-4).
“No question our region is stacked,” Palmi said. “Four of the top 10 teams in Class 7A are in our region. I’m glad we have home court advantage and will have our fans behind us.”
Ironically, Osceola first opponent in the regional may be the team they defeated Thursday for the district title. Harmony (12-11) came into the match ranked No. 8 in the latest FHSAA standings. If the Longhorns stay in that position, they would claim one of four available at-large spots in the regional and would open tournament play at Osceola next Wednesday.
The Longhorns got limited play from all-county outside hitter Samantha Vickers, who has missed the majority of the season with an injury. But head coach Ryan Keating was pleased with the play of his team.
“It always tough to play Osceola, they are really talented. But I thought we played with a lot of determination and energy tonight. It was our team goal to get back to the state playoffs this year and now we’ll wait to see what happens with the rankings.”
