By Dave Brousseau - BCAA Writer
FORT LAUDERDALE – The St. Thomas Aquinas girls volleyball team inched a step closer to their eighth state championship in a very powerful way.
Mikayla Porter, Sydney Guerrier and Emmi Merhi combined for 24 of the Raiders 47 kills to cruise past South Plantation 25-7, 25-11, 25-12 in a Class 6A regional final on Wednesday.
The victory moved Aquinas a step closer to defending their state title and possible eighth over championship. They will face Land O’Lakes Sunlake (15-8) in a state semifinal match on Nov. 8 at Polk State College in Winter Haven at 10 a.m.
Should the Raiders advance they would face the winner of the Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer/Gulf Breeze winner. The championship match is set for Nov. 9 at 1 p.m.
“We were very offensive tonight, and everyone contributed,” said St. Thomas coach Lisa Zielinski. “The inside was strong and the outside was scoring. It wasn’t just one player. It was multiple players that were scoring.”
The victory was the third of the season against South Plantation, all in straight sets. Aquinas has won 10 consecutive matches against the Paladins (20-4) dating back to 2008, while losing just one set.
Overall, the Raiders have outscored the Paladins 25-2 in sets won.
The Paladins hung tough down two sets to none, trailing 11-6 and 20-12 in the third set before the Raiders closed out the match with five straight points that included a Porter kill to seal the victory.
“Our front row is very aggressive,” said Porter. “That’s one thing we have and other teams know. We’re all such a good team with such good players. We come together do get it done.”
St. Thomas was clearly the better team from the onset.
The ended the first set on a 12-2 run with Porter’s deciding kill.
An indication of how one-sided the regional final was, is the Paladins’ longest point streak was held to three, but not until Aquinas led 20-9 in the third set.
Overall, the Raiders had all the right moves to a clear victory.
Senior outside hitter Tameary Wardlaw had eight digs and Makia Brooks had six digs along with her match high 17 assists.
Dave Brousseau can be reached on X at @dbrouss76 – or via e-mail at:
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Make no mistake about it, when it comes to high school football talent in south Florida, age means nothing.
This is the region of the country where 9th and 10th graders are fair game. If they are needed to make a contribution at the varsity level, they step in – no questions asked. The talent level is that impressive.
Many chalk the talent up to the amazing youth programs that run through Miami-Dade and Broward Counties and produce elite talent.
RUSSELL PROFILE
PLAYER: Daylen Russell
POSITION: DE
SCHOOL: Miami Christopher Columbus
CLASS: 2024
HEIGHT: 6-1
WEIGHT: 235
SCOUTING: Having watched this young man play, there is no limit to how impressive he is going to be.
Remember, this is someone who already has turned heads, and with a solid spring and a summer where college coaches are getting an early peak, this is definitely the next defensive lineman who will step up for the Explorers.
He is quick off the ball, strong and very athletic. When you see him play, it’s hard to believe that he has three seasons left to go – and that already has many thinking this is going to be a top area player.
In his spring game against North Miami Beach, he showcased some of what he’s all about – coming up with a sack and getting off the ball against a quality senior offensive lineman.
While the Explorers have several holes to fill, and questions to be answered, here is a young talent who will certainly give head coach Dave Dunn and his team less to worry about.
TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/profile/9810163/Daylen-Russell/about
For the past 51 years, we have spent time going from games to practices, camps, combines and 7-on-7 events. We will remain steadfast to promote all south Florida’s high school football prospects. Follow us on Facebook (Larry Blustein- SFHSports) and Twitter (@SFHSSports - @larryblustein). Contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
When you happen to be a smaller school, stocking your roster with elite talent is not the norm, but things are changing.
At schools like Miami LaSalle, head coach Helder Valle has been able to assemble some quality talent as this program grows and builds toward the future.
With two weeks left until college coaches and athletes will once again head into another “Dark Period” of the recruiting cycle, it has come down to getting to as many events as possible.
The team tours that so many high school programs are taking has opened up avenues that have not been there for the past 14 plus months – and no matter what college it may be, doing the best you can is essential.
While many were skeptical about having so many post-Covid college camps and 7-on-7 events, things have really worked out perfectly for these high school athletes – and yes – the college coaches.
An event nearly every day at colleges and universities throughout the country have opened things up – and it has put several eyeballs on so many student/athletes who needed the exposure.