The Jupiter women’s volleyball team made a deep run in the playoffs before falling short during a five-set match.
loss to Winter Park (18-25, 23-25, 26-24, 25-22, 4-15) in an FHSAA Class 7A state semifinal in
Polk State College in Winter Haven on Friday.
Jupiter (25-4) swept Wellington in the first round of the playoffs and held off Fort Pierce Central.
in five sets during the regional semifinal and took a step forward with a three-set victory against
Osceola in the regional final.
After losing the first two sets in the state final four, the Warriors rallied to win the
the next two. They struggled to maintain momentum throughout the final set.
“We knew the game plan was to stop their two big outside hitters because they are really good.
and we had problems with them,” Jupiter coach Blane Betz said. “Our girls could have easily done it
he stopped playing. They fought back and that was super impressive. We show a lot of character.
Don’t give up and hang in there and I’m proud of our team. It’s a tough game and it comes
It all depends on who played better in the end. Winter Park has a fantastic team. they changed
their lineup in the final set and it was difficult for us to adapt.”
Jupiter senior attacker Sarah Brodner had a team-high 15 kills in the state semifinal.
Junior hitter Ava Webster recorded 12 kills and 13 digs, senior middle blocker Lexi
Figoras had eight kills and four blocks, senior center Sophia Rodríguez added seven
Kills and sophomore libero Macy McAmis recorded 28 digs.
“We have a fantastic group of players and it was a real team effort,” Betz said. “We have so much
There are many children we can turn to. We had a tough schedule with a lot of competition and I expected it.
It would make us better. At the beginning of the season he wasn’t sure how everything would go. we were
able to learn about our weaknesses. We worked hard to fix it and we got better.”
Brodner, a University of Virginia signee, led the team in kills during the season.
“Sarah is a fantastic human being and a hard worker,” Betz said. “She played very well. Am
“I am very proud of her for stepping up and leading our team.”
Webster finished second on the team in kills during the season. Mcamis made his presence felt in
he liberated and led the team in the excavations. Betz highlighted that both Rodríguez and Fígoras played at a high level in
network. Senior setter Isabel Voss, junior setter Kate Guarneri, senior Katelyn Coombs and senior
Jordan Guarneri were all key contributors.
The Warriors are still on a mission to win their first state title. Jupiter reached the state semifinals for the last time
in 2021 and fell in five sets to Windermere. The Warriors have made several appearances,
including a state runner-up finish in 2014 and 2015.
Plant defeated Winter Park in three sets in the Class 7A state championship match on Saturday.
