The Vero Beach High volleyball team made the regional round of the playoffs for the seventh time in the past eight seasons by securing the runner-up slot in the District 8-9A postseason tournament behind perennial champion Martin County.
As a result, Vero squared off against Osceola of Kissimmee in the regional quarterfinals. Osceola won the title in District 7-9A and came into the match sporting a record of 19-6.
The mental toughness that has been a prominent theme for the VBHS coaching staff and players since the summer was undoubtedly a key factor for VBHS in a tight four-set match. The Fighting Indians prevailed in the underdog role by scores of 25-23, 26-28, 25-16 and 25-20.
Outstanding performances by Summer Seevers (12 kills), Taylor Story (9 kills) and Catie Jacobs (35 assists) paced the victory. The trio also had a combined 33 digs.
The payoff was a fourth meeting with Martin County and an opportunity to advance to a regional final. VBHS had not claimed even one set in the previous three matches against its fiercest district rival. It promised to be a daunting task and a hurdle that was not entirely unanticipated. It turned out to be another déjà vu moment.
Martin County won a marathon third set to complete another sweep by scores of 25-18, 25-19 and 30-28. Vero had four set points in number three and led most of the way but couldn’t send it to a fourth set.
Story had 9 kills, Seevers had 8 and Jacobs chipped in with 18 assists. Vero finished 8-9 with four of those numbers on the right courtesy of Martin County.
Head coach Jessica Singewald will return nine players next year, losing seniors Kristen Fessler and Kyndal Rock.
The well-balanced and extremely talented boys golf team claimed the district championship as expected. The goal for this group all season long was to press on much further than that and challenge for the state title.
The District 16-3A title was achieved with relative ease. Beck Fox (70), James Fischer (71), Austin Aliff (74) and Carter Dalili (74) combined for a total score of 289, which was 22 strokes ahead of second-place Harmony.
Fox was the medalist for the tournament with the best individual score in the five-team event. If there was a medal awarded for the second-best personal round it would have gone to his teammate, Fischer.
Things got a little tighter in the Region 6-3A tourney. Fox (74), Dalili (76), Fischer (76), Aliff (78) and Bryce Hauser (tied Aliff with a 78) posted a team score of 304, edging past Jupiter by a scant 2 strokes. It was just enough to claim the regional title for the fifth time in the past six campaigns and punch a ticket to the state finals. Vero’s best state finish over that span was third place in 2013.
The state tournament last week was a 36-hole event over two days. Vero shot 623 to claim second place, 17 strokes behind the Class 3A champion Plant High School out of Tampa. Dalili had the best performance for Vero with an 8-over 152. He carded rounds of 78 and 74 to tie for 11th place in the overall field. Fox and Aliff were 11 over, while Fischer and Hauser came in at 17 over par.
It was the best finish in school history and heightened the hunger for next year. Fox and Fischer are seniors, but Dalili is only a freshman and Aliff and Hauser are juniors. That threesome is eligible to return next year along with junior Ben Wiggins and freshman Ryan Moylan. Head coach Mark Cammarene is looking forward to working with another deep, highly skilled roster in 2017.
The VBHS girls golf team placed second in the District 16-3A playoff round with total score of 366. The foursome of Mary Kate Hiller (74), Sarah Noonan (78), Olivia Grimmich (106) and Megan Padgett (108) qualified for the regionals. Hiller lost a one-hole playoff for medalist honors.
The team was eliminated in the regionals but Hiller qualified for states as an individual with a 72. It was her second straight appearance in the most prestigious event for high school golfers.
The senior finished in a tie for 10th place with a 7-over total of 151. The two-day breakdown was 74 and 77.
