Volleyball: Martin County reaches 1st regional final since 2004

STUART — For the first time since 2004, the Martin County volleyball team has played its way to the regional championship match with a berth in the state semifinals on the line.

The Tigers (22-7) toppled rival West Boca Raton 27-25, 25-16, 23-25 and 25-16 in a Region 4-5A semifinal on Tuesday night at the Don Wallen Athletic Complex. They will play St. Thomas Aquinas (22-5) in the regional final Saturday.

"Last year, we came in after winning the districts and West Boca beat us," Martin County coach Marty Bielicki said. "We didn't forget that. This was a hurdle we needed to get over."

The long first game, which was tied 10 times including at 25-25, boosted the Tigers. Martin County trailed 20-16 before rallying behind the hitting power of Molly O'Neil and Elise Walch.

"That was really good," Walch said. "I was really proud of us. We fought really hard to get back. We got the momentum."

Walch led the Tigers with 25 kills, including two hit so hard they slammed into the faces of two West Boca players. The Bulls were simply unable to defend against her.

"I've practiced really hard to try to get back after my (foot) injury," Walch said. "I love it."

O'Neil added 17 kills to go with 11 service points including five aces and five digs.

"This is the best Molly has played, her best match as a Tiger," Bielicki said.

In the second game, Martin County raced to a 10-2 lead behind the serving of Allison Lewen who finished with 12 points.

"You could tell they let down," Bielicki said. "Of course, they came back that third game, but we knew they would."

The third game was tied 11 times. Five service errors by Martin County and four other unforced errors also helped West Boca rally. But the Bulls (20-9) couldn't sustain any momentum.

With O'Neil serving, Martin County scored the first five points of the fourth game. West Boca was never closer than four thereafter.

"We came out flat and just held onto our flatness," West Boca coach Courtney Fochtman said. "We didn't show up. We have to deal with Martin County every year. It was a tough match. They're awesome."

Kayla Cormier had 46 assists and 13 digs for Martin County.

Jessica Santaniello had 18 kills, 26 digs and five points for West Boca.

By Aimee Ford Foster
Tuesday, November 11, 2008  www.tcpalm.com