Branford volleyball falls in five sets in FHSAA Rural State Championship to Jay
· Yahoo Sports
WINTER HAVEN — Branford volleyball's bid at a second consecutive state title came up just short Wednesday.
The Buccaneers fell 3-2 in five sets to Jay in the FHSAA Rural Class State Championship Game at Polk State College in Winter Haven. The Royals won their first state title in program history, while the Bucs fell in the final match for the third time in four years.
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The first set saw Branford explode out to a 13-9 lead and forced Jay to call timeout. That proved enough for the Royals to reset and go on a run with a 25-22 set victory.
The second saw the Buccaneers return the favor with a 25-22 dub of their own. The third continued the back and forth nature and a 25-22 set final – once again won by Jay.
The fourth was a little different. The Bucs took a 13-2 lead and ultimately dominated the Royals to a 25-13 victory and a winner-take-all fifth set.
The fifth set saw the Bucs unable to continue momentum from the fourth. The Royals scored six unanswered to take na 11-5 lead and ultimately prevail 15-8.
Branford sees just four seniors graduate and returns libero Ava Alcorn, who called Hank Rone called the best in Florida. She recorded 57 digs Wednesday.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1, Instagram @Ramreporter, Facebook Noah Ram - Reporter and TikTok @ramreporter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Branford volleyball falls in five sets in FHSAA Rural State Championship to Jay