St. Thomas volleyball defeats Fort Myers

FORT LAUDERDALE — In the first game against St. Thomas Aquinas on Tuesday, the Fort Myers volleyball team did everything right. The Green Wave served well, they got the ball to their hitters, especially middle blocker Kaitlin Holm, and took advantage of the Raiders' mistakes.

However, even after taking the first game, coach Stephanie Martin warned her team that St. Thomas could come right back if her players let up.

Her words proved prophetic as the Raiders rallied to beat Fort Myers 22-25, 25-15, 27-25, 25-22 in the Region 5A-4 semifinals.

"It was a dogfight to the end and I'm proud of my girls for not giving up," Martin said. "We were right there."

Martin called both teams "streaky," which is a good way to explain the back-and-forth contest. After winning the first game, the Green Wave (23-4) jumped out to a quick lead in the second before the Raiders found a rhythm and created the comeback that Martin warned her team about.

Throughout the match, though, neither team seemed to take control.

"Mentally, we just shut down," Holm said of the way Fort Myers played after the first game. "We started making stupid mistakes."

St. Thomas (24-5) went into the game with a plan to control Holm, who played well throughout the match, finishing with 17 kills and two blocks.

"They're good," Raiders coach Lisa Zielinski said. "They're smart. They get around the block. They get a lot of balls up and Kaitlin can terminate the ball. Our whole strategy was to stay offensive enough so she couldn't get a hold of it."

Without any seniors on the roster, the Green Wave will return a full complement of players next season and Holm is confident that the loss to St. Thomas is something her teammates can learn from and build on next season.

"We have a really young team," Martin said. "This is a really good accomplishment for us. We fought till the end and it really paid off. I think we'll have a great, great season next year."

Outside hitter Brittany Brinson finished with 11 kills and 18 digs, while Taylor Emerson added 21 digs. Courtney Greenberg had 40 assists.

"Overall, I thought it was good match," Martin said.

BY MASON KELLEY • Special to news-press.com • November 12, 2008