District Volleyball Roundup

Five area teams advanced to Thursday’s district championship matches with victories in their respective district semifinal matches Oct. 22.

CLASS 3A-DISTRICT 10

Top-seeded Cardinal Mooney defeated No. 4 seed Bradenton Christian 25-14, 25-16, 25-14 in the first Class 3A-District 10 semifinal.

Madison McNally had 12 kills and Kelly Firek added 10 kills and three blocks to lead the way for the Cougars. Maria Soscia had 10 digs and Lexi Barbour finished with 30 assists. Shannon Lynch contributed five aces.

In the second 3A-10 semifinal, No. 2 seed The Out-of-Door Academy came-from-behind to defeat No. 3 seed St. Stephen’s 17-25, 25-8, 25-20, 25-21.

Natalie Buffett had 18 kills and Lauren Maxey added 12 kills, 20 digs and 20 perfect passes to power the Thunder. Taylor Albano had 10 kills and a block. Cameron Graham recorded 28 digs, 19 perfect passes and four aces.

Cardinal Mooney and ODA will paly for the district title Oct. 24.

CLASS 7A-DISTRICT 10

Top-seeded Lakewood Ranch assured itself a chance to defend its district title with a 3-0 victory over North Port.

The Mustangs will face No. 2 seed Sarasota Oct. 24.

The Sailors defeated No. 3 seed Braden River 25-22, 25-17, 18-25, 25-18 to advance to the district championship for the first time in 10 years.

Lauren Hochstetler paced Sarasota with 21 kills and 12 digs. Toni Mogensen added 12 kills. Deisree Leiding had 10 kills. Jordan Brooks had eight kills and 16 digs. Setter Emily Harding had two kills to go along with 56 assists. Gaby Diaz finished with three kills.

Cassidy Barich had 17 kills, three aces, six digs and a block to lead the way for Braden River. Madison Jaco added 16 kills, four aces and 10 digs. Setter Courtney Rapp finished with 41 assists and four digs.

CLASS 2A-DISTRICT 9

Sarasota Christian swept Donahue Academy 25-7, 25-8, 25-7 Oct. 22 to earn a berth in the district championship.

Cole Miller had four aces and Jeslynn Oshea had two aces. Kelsey Murphy contributed four kills.

The Blazers will face Southwest Florida Christian Oct. 24.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].