Spanish River falls in state boys volleyball semifinals in four games

Saturday, May 16, 2009
by Faran Fagen

Spanish River found out Saturday why Southwest Miami has won 35 consecutive matches.

The Eagles' precise hitting and deft blocking frustrated the Sharks into committing 39 errors en route to a 21-25, 25-15, 25-13, 25-23 victory in the state semifinals at Parkland-Douglas.

Spanish River (25-6) shocked Southwest in the first game, but then lost momentum in Game 2 and 3.

"They started to block us, and our offense became too predictable," Spanish River coach Lori Eaton said.

Southwest Miami totalled 12 block points, including five from Richard Tamayo, who led a late charge for the Eagles in the final game.

Spanish River led by as many as seven points in the fourth game, and with the Sharks up 22-16, the Eagles called a timeout. Two quick kills by Tamayo and two Spanish River errors made it 22-20.

Tim Heneks recorded the last of his team-leading 11 kills to put the Sharks up 23-21. Southwest Maimi then got three kills, one from Andre Abadin and two more from Tamayo, to set up match point.

Alex D'Augelli, second in kills with nine, hit into the net to end the Sharks' hopes for a berth in the championship match.

"We would have gotten them in a fifth game," said Jake Goldberg, who led the Sharks with 17 digs.

After jumping to an 11-3 in the Game 1 victory, the Sharks fell flat for two contests. Midway through Game 2, the Eagles rattled off nine consecutive points to take a 22-11 lead. They also scored seven straight points midway through Game 3.

"They started blocking us, and we started to shut down," Goldberg said. "We lost confidence in our ability and everything."

After Game 3, Eaton told the team that every player would have to contribute if they were going to win. They responded by going up 10-7 to start the fourth game. Ian Lyngse contributed four kills in his final game, but the Sharks couldn't hang on.

"At this level, you have to bring it 100 percent in order to get the win," Eaton said. "It was a great season."

In the championship match, Orlando-Timber Creek snapped Southwest Miami's winning streak with an 18-25, 25-13, 26-24, 25-23 upset.