High school volleyball: King's Academy, Lake Worth Christian ready for state semifinals
BOYNTON BEACH — As postseason volleyball draws to a climax, two Palm Beach County squads are two wins away from a state championship. King’s Academy and Lake Worth Christian play their respective state semifinals matches on Saturday.
King’s Academy (15-0) remains undefeated after last week’s forfeit by Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy due to COVID-19 concerns. This Saturday in a Class 3A state semifinal, they face a team among the best Florida has to offer in Miami-Westminster Christian (21-0), a South Florida squad that Lions head coach Taylor Lee Christy knows will be a tough challenge between the undefeated juggernauts.
“I had a feeling we would see them in this game,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a dogfight. I think it’s going to be a really good match, I really do.”
Miami-Westminster Christian, playing with home advantage in this contest, has talent across their starting roster, and Taylor says that part of what makes this team so unique is so many of their players star in beach volleyball, where excellent ball control is paramount.
“Their big outside hitter, Saskia Hernandez — she is a beast,” Taylor said. “She’s a super powerful hitter. But not just a powerful hitter; she’s a really smart hitter. Good defense in the back row. Their setter, she’s a Division I commit, also. Probably the best setter we’ve faced this year.”
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King’s Academy is led by the powerful trio of Annie Smith, Katelynn Robine, and senior addition Olivia Wanicka, and carry title aspirations into Saturday's semifinal.
“For one, our older girls have another year of experience, another year of strength,” Taylor said. And we had new setter [Olivia Wanicka] come in as a senior, and she runs a different kind of offense. Just her volleyball IQ and [what’s she’s able] to run as a senior setter is a little different than what we were running last year. Katelynn and Annie were phenomenal last year and they’re still phenomenal this year.”
Still, the success the Lions have had this year can only be attributed to a complete team effort.
Notable team depth from the squad — starters and others — has allowed for incredibly competitive practices as the girls have fought to make each other stronger, more confident players on a daily basis.
“It’s not just the starters this year,” Taylor said. It’s the whole team. We’ve been very, very blessed that we’ve had that this year. I want them to all go in on Saturday feeling like they’ve contributed because they absolutely have.”
While King’s will face an opponent they have only seen on film thus far in 2020, Lake Worth (17-2) Christian is set to match up against First Baptist Academy (15-3), a team they defeated in four sets back in September.
The defending 2A state champions will look to continue their repeat run on Saturday at home, and head coach Terri Kaiser knows the match will come down to doing the “little things” right, an ideology the Defenders bought into all season long.
“The most important thing I tell the team is, they’ve played us, we’ve played them,’” Kaiser said. "They’ve had a chance to improve and we’ve had a chance to improve.”
The matchup looks to be closer than the Defenders’ regional finals sweep against Miami-Westwood Christian, when the home team played virtually mistake-free.
But it’s the type of dominance that the defending champs will look to ride into Saturday’s semifinals matchup. This time, First Baptist will be out for revenge.
“They have a great outside attack and they have some great defense against an outside attack,” Kaiser said.
But Lake Worth Christian has its own arsenal, led by junior captain Kelly Franklin, Lexi Jacobs, Parker Folino, and Karly Horn — and this year, the Lake Worth Christian attack is coming from everywhere on the court.
“I think the exciting thing this year is that we have more go-to,” Kaiser said. The weapons we have we had last year. But now we have those same weapons with one more year of experience. You’ve got the confidence of what you could accomplish last year, and you have the drive to want to do it again. It’s just a special place to be in a season, and with a group of girls that are so hungry to do it.”
While Lake Worth Christian has a target on its backs, it’s just another motivator. All season long, the players have vowed that more remains to be proven.
It’s the type of pressure akin to walking on a tightrope.
“It can be if you allow it — or you embrace it,” Kaiser said. Know that it happens, know that it exists, and know that you can control what happens.”
On Saturday, both King’s Academy and Lake Worth Christian have to do just that — take control, and seize the chance to take one more step toward their title aspirations.