We Speak Volleyball

DeLand Rallies Past Oviedo in Five Sets to Reach First State Semifinal Since 2011

Published

55 minutes ago

November 2, 2026

The DeLand volleyball team and fans celebrate on the court holding a hand lettered Champions banner.

Photo courtesy of DeLand Volleyball.

DeLand is headed back to the state semifinals for the first time in 15 years. The top seeded Bulldogs outlasted second seeded Oviedo 3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 22-25, 25-17, 17-15) in the Class 6A Region 1 final on Wednesday night, October 28, in front of a loud home crowd in the Doghouse.

The match swung back and forth all night. Oviedo took the first set and the third, and DeLand answered each time, evening the match in the second set and again in the fourth. When the Lions grabbed a 14-11 lead in the fifth set, they stood one point away from the Final Four and the Bulldogs stood one point from the end of their season.

DeLand refused to fold. Eden Knapp found an opening for a kill, Emerson Lalashuis snuck an ace over the net, and Knapp teamed with setter Kohen Kazmierczak on a block as the Bulldogs erased the deficit. Oviedo tied the set one last time at 15, but Knapp buried her 28th kill of the night to move DeLand in front, and Kazmierczak finished the next point to close out the 17-15 win and set off the celebration.

Knapp led all players with 28 kills. Lalashuis added 17 kills and Leni Young had 12 for the Bulldogs, who piled up 68 kills as a team. Nora Kretchman led Oviedo with 16 kills and Eva Woolm added 14.

The win sends DeLand (27-3), coached by Rhea Simon, to the Class 6A state semifinals on November 6 at Polk State College in Winter Haven. The Bulldogs join the 2011 squad as the only state semifinalists in school history. Oviedo ends a standout season at 26-4.

We Speak Volleyball

Cardinal Newman Rallies From Two Sets Down to Beat Saint Mary’s 3-2 and Reach the NCS Semifinals

Published

5 minutes ago

November 2, 2026

We Speak Media

A Cardinal Newman player attacks against the Saint Mary's block during the NCS quarterfinal.

Photo courtesy of Cardinal Newman Athletics.

For the second time in four days, Cardinal Newman erased a two-set deficit on the road to keep its season alive, rallying past Saint Mary’s 3-2 on Saturday afternoon in the North Coast Section Division 2 quarterfinals. The Cardinals dropped the first two sets 25-22 and 25-23, then stormed back to win 25-18, 25-20 and 15-7 at Saint Mary’s in Albany.

Newman actually built a 20-15 lead in the second set before Saint Mary’s rallied to take it, leaving the Cardinals one set from elimination for the second straight match. On Wednesday, the fifth seeded Cardinals had done the same thing to Granada, winning 3-2 after trailing 2-0 in the first round.

Junior outside hitter Emma Donnelly led the comeback with a team high 21 kills after a slow start in the first two sets. Freshman Kensi Grover delivered 18 kills and 18 digs, and junior Gracie Acosta added 13 kills. Junior setter Addison Smith ran the offense with 55 assists and 12 digs, while Sabina Walsh had nine digs and three aces and senior Jordan Espinosa served five aces.

Head coach Daryl Kapis credited the serve receive passing of Adeline Brockett, Walsh, Teneli Galli and Grover for turning the match. “The four of them were the main stars of the game because of how well they passed in serve receive,” Kapis said.

The win improved Newman to 19-10 and avenged two losses to Saint Mary’s over the past year, including last season’s section semifinal. Across their first two playoff matches, the Cardinals have won all six sets they have played while facing elimination. Newman now travels to face top seeded Branson in the semifinals on Wednesday, November 4.