KISSIMMEE — As it turns out the third time in the Florida High School Athletic Association Final Four wasn’t the charm for the Baker School volleyball team.
The Gators, who were made their third straight trip to the final four and second trip in three years to the championship match, fell to Sneads in Saturday’s Class 1A finals 25-15, 25-19 and 25-13.
Baker Coach Tomikko Parks said the Gators (23-5) were their own worst enemies.
“We had too many unforced errors that you can’t have in a championship match,” she said. “We didn’t execute and play Baker volleyball and that’s why we lost.”
Miranda Whatmough had seven kills, 18 digs and two aces to lead the Gator attack. Hana Wadsworth had five kills, two aces and an assist. Lena Daoud had 10 assists and 12 digs.
Alex Roy had 14 digs.
Parks said she’ll remember the team that won an 11th straight district title for its camaraderie and the way the girls stayed together in the face of adversity.
As for the future, Parks is confident the Gators can return to the final four.
“We are just going to keep going,” she said. “We’ve got some young girls coming up that we think can replace the seniors.
“The goal (the state finals) is the same every year.”
Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Gator volleyball team comes up short