Prep report: Season ends for Verot
Music blared and the fans swarmed the court to embrace the players, but it was not with the result that the Bishop Verot Vikings had hoped for in Saturday’s Region 3-3A Championship volleyball match against Tampa Berkeley Prep.
For the second straight season, Berkeley Prep handed the host Vikings (27-1) their only loss of the season. The Buccaneers, ranked No. 1 in the state, won in four sets – 25-22, 15-25, 25-8, 25-19 – to advance to the state final four.
“It was a hard fought match,” Bishop Verot coach Wynn DePasquale said. “They were just a little quicker, a little stronger, and we had a hard time keeping up.”
The Buccaneers had a clear advantage in height with four players standing more than 6-feet tall, to the Vikings one.
A loud and rowdy crowd welcomed the Buccaneers into Nevins Gymnasium, and the players matched the crowd’s intensity in the first set.
Verot scored the first point, but Berkely responded quickly scoring three points in a row. The Vikings remained close for a few points, but the Buccaneers opened up a six-point lead, 22-16. Verot fought back, again, to make it 23-22, but a net violation and palming call gave the Bucs the first set.
Verot wasted no time in the second set, taking a 10-3 lead, which forced Berkeley to use a time out. It drove the crowd into a frenzy.
The timeout seemed to temporarily regroup the Bucs, who charged back at the Vikings, cutting the lead to three, 16-12.
Three kills by Verot senior Katie Clinger broke the rhythm, and led the Vikings to victory in the second set.
Berkeley responded in game three with a dominant effort. The Bucs pounced on the Vikings, building a 9-0 lead.
A time out led to a point for the Vikings, but the points kept coming for the Bucs. They ended up cruising to a 25-8 win in game three.
The Vikings had their backs against the wall to begin game four.
They got off to a promising start as senior Christa Brooks converted a block to put the Vikings ahead 3-2. It was the last lead the Vikings held in the match.
Berkeley opened up a four point lead and it looked as though they were ready to put Verot away for good, but a couple of digs by Katie Mosher led to kills by Sarah Toggweiler, cutting the lead to 13-12.
The Buccaneers continued their attack, scoring five straight points to put Verot on the ropes again.
The Vikings refused to quit, and, again, cut the lead to one, forcing the Bucs to use a time out.
The time out did the trick as Berkeley scored six straight points to win the match.
They prevailed over the Vikings in a five-set thriller in the regional semifinals last year.
The Vikings lose five seniors from this year’s squad. They helped lead the team to a combined 49-2 record over the past two seasons.
“A lot of our girls are going off to college,” DePasquale said. “I hope they look back and have pride in their school and what they accomplished.”
Girls Soccer
n Bishop Verot 2, Lemon Bay 0: Lauren Cento and Kayley Clay scored goals, lifting the host Vikings past Lemon Bay Saturday.
The Vikings used two goalkeepers. Chryssie Gibson tallied five saves and Kailyn Rizzo had two saves, contributing to the shutout.
The Vikings (5-1) play at Gateway Charter Tuesday.