NEW TAMPA — Wharton’s volleyball dominance over Freedom survived its toughest test in more than a decade.
The Wildcats rallied from a two-sets-to-one deficit to beat their New Tampa rival 3-2 on Sept. 24, winning the final two sets 25-17 and 15-12 to extend their winning streak in the series to 25 matches, dating to 2007.
The victory lifted Wharton to 16-3, including 7-0 at home.
Freedom (10-4) had an eight-match winning streak snapped, but the Patriots broke some trends of their own. Their two set wins equaled their total against Wharton in the previous 16 meetings combined, and it was the first time they had taken two sets from the Wildcats in a match since 2013.
First-year Freedom coach Nicole Moore said she toughened this season’s schedule to prepare the Patriots to get past the regional quarterfinals, where their season ended last year. Against Wharton, that preparation showed.
Matches between the schools, which sit less than 4 miles apart, rarely lack emotion in any sport. But the young Patriots, who feature six sophomores, brought an intensity that caught Wharton off guard, along with a game plan built around containing senior outside hitter Amia Kennerdy that took the Wildcats several sets to solve.
“I always tell the girls to be aggressive,” Moore said. “I’m OK with the errors as long as they’re aggressive. We tried to keep moving the ball around to keep them on their toes. We had our moments where we kept putting the ball in the same spot and we had to switch it up. But they did an awesome job moving the ball around and swinging away and being aggressive.”
Junior Ellie Cole and sophomores Launa Law and Naya Daniels anchored a front line whose leaping ability and power at the net seemed to surprise Wharton. Cole and Law also led the Patriots with four aces apiece.
“All of our hitters played well,” Moore said. “Ellie had an outstanding match. She came in ready to get after it. Naya led us in kills last year. She’s a sophomore and still working through some of the nerves, but she did her part tonight.”
Veteran Wharton coach Eric Barber said Freedom’s push didn’t surprise him.
“Looking at their stats and how they handled some of the tougher teams on their schedule this year, I knew they would come in and play us tough,” Barber said. “We definitely started the match tight. It’s a rivalry match too, so there was that as well.
“They played outstanding. Their defense was incredible, and their receiving of our serves was incredible. That’s the best Freedom team I’ve ever played in my 19 years here. Hands down. Their coach did a great job preparing them.”
Kennerdy carried the Wildcats with 22 kills and 15 digs. Setter Zoe Ananga added 37 assists, libero Maliyah Battle had 13 digs and Emma Skelson served four aces.
“They were good at picking spots,” Barber said. “Our block, when it was there, pressed them into doing some things short, which was our game plan coming in.
“We know who our best hitter is. So in a tight game we’re going to lean on her. Their game plan coming in was to center in on what Amia was doing, so in the sets after that we tried to move the ball around a little bit more and get more people involved and make their defense look at other things.”
The opening set, in which neither team led by more than four points, signaled a long night. Senior Averi Addison’s well-placed deep shot closed it for Freedom, 25-22.
Wharton evened the match with a 25-20 win in a second set filled with long rallies and athletic digs, as Barber began shifting Kennerdy to different spots on the court.
The third set was the match’s best, with net play from Cole, Daniels and senior Ava Arrighi lifting Freedom to a tense 27-25 win.
Wharton answered with a 25-17 fourth set behind Kennerdy’s forceful spikes. In a fifth set full of long rallies and diving saves on both sides, the Wildcats won five of the last seven points to close out the 15-12 decider.
Barber singled out freshman middle hitter Sara Langlois.
“Sara played outstanding,” he said. “We’ve really been working in practice on making sure our block is what it needs to be, and she did a great job all match long of pressing the block. Our setter, Zoe Ananga, did fantastic in tight moments of making good decisions.
“Our libero, Maliyah, was flying around the court and making a lot of plays and great reads.
“Everyone stepped up and did a good job.”
Langlois said Freedom’s play opened the Wildcats’ eyes.
“We didn’t expect them to be that good,” she said. “We definitely underestimated them entering the match. They were getting to more balls and making more blocks than us. They’re a really good team.”
Moore praised her team’s refusal to concede a point.
“You could feel the intensity,” she said. “I just kept reminding the girls to use it. Don’t be nervous or scared; use it as energy to help motivate yourself.
“That was the best match we’ve played this year. They really showed out and really wanted it and played with all of their heart.”