Sharks headed to first district title match
Second-seeded Oasis rode the performances of senior Larra Bickelhaupt and freshman Sam Bebber to a District 4A-11 victory Wednesday night over LaBelle to reach the championship match top-seeded Bishop Verot.
Bickelhaupt and Bebber delivered double-double efforts in the 25-16, 21-25, 25-17, 25-12 victory. Bickelhaupt led the way with 18 kills, 12 digs and four service aces. Bebber had 17 kills, 11 digs and four aces. Junior Vanessa Robbins added a double-double of 11 kills and 10 digs for the Sharks (18-8), who notched a school record for wins in a single season.
Bishop Verot advanced to the district championship match Thursday night with a 25-9, 25-10, 25-9 victory in the other tournament semifinal match at Oasis.
“This team has played varsity since they were freshmen,” said Sharks coach James Mikolajczyk. “We have been building and improving, and this is a step forward for us.”
It is the first time in school history the Sharks have won a district semifinal match and, consequently, their first appearance in the championship match.
On Wednesday, the Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA) named Bickelhaupt the regional player of the year and Mikolajczyk the coach of the year.
“We are looking forward to continuing this run and working together as a unit,” said Mikolajczyk.
Also on Thursday, top-seeded Venice hosts No. 2 seed North Fort Myers in the District 6A-11 championship match while Golden Gate and Lely play for the District 5A-12 title.
Winners earn home floor advantage for the regional quarterfinal round that starts next week while the losers earn a traveling postseason assignment in the regional round.