Four Orlando-area men's volleyball teams are in the top six of the USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Association Southern Region preseason rankings.
Led by standout senior setter Slater Vack and record-setting junior returner Tyler Wint, Lake Howell finished the season 27-3 and finished second behind defending state champion Southwest Miami. It has become. Horizon followed in 3rd place, Winter Park in 4th place, and Timber Creek in 6th place.
Lake Howell defeated Timber Creek in its season opener Tuesday by a score of 25-16, 25-16, 25-21. Game 2 for the Silver Hawks will be Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Horizon (1-0). Both teams will then compete in the 16-team Seminole Cup tournament hosted by Lake Mary and Lake Brantley. Pool play begins Friday at 4 p.m., with bracket play matches taking place at 9 a.m. Saturday, followed by the championship match at noon in Lake Mary.
flag football thriller
The Horizon girls flag football team extended its undefeated record last week by defeating Freedom 14-13 in five overtimes. Fabi Klubel scored a touchdown on fourth-and-goal to tie the game, and Jordan Schwenneker added the winning goal for the Hawks (6-0).
Winter Park (5-0) opened with a five-game shutout, including Tuesday's win over Timber Creek (5-1).
Harmony (5-1) defeated previously undefeated Celebration (4-1) 7-6.
best in basketball
Montverde Academy, ranked No. 1 in men's basketball in the nation, finished the regular season 30-0 with two lopsided wins over South Carolina over the weekend. This gives Eagles coach Kevin Boyle his 850th career win.
The Eagles are currently on more than a month off before competing in the Chipotle High School Basketball Nationals, which will be held April 4-6 in the Indianapolis suburb of Brownsburg. After being held in Fort Myers last year, the tournament has a new name and a new venue.
Miami Columbus (25-4) is ranked No. 2 behind Montverde in the national polls and will play Evans (20-9) in the Class 7A state semifinals at 11 a.m. Friday, if it maintains that ranking. In basketball, the Florida team finished with 1 win and 2 losses.
Ronnie Flores, editor of the Fab 50 National Team Rankings dating back to 1952, said Montverde's 36-0 2018 team, featuring RJ Barrett and Michael DeVoe, escaped with the FHSAA 5A state title. He said they finished in first place, ahead of Nova Southeastern University. In a lineup that includes Florida's Mr. Basketball, Vernon Carey Jr. and Scottie Barnes. These teams met in what was then known as the GEICO Nationals Finals.
Friday's second 7A semifinal game will be Oak Ridge (26-3) vs. Winter Haven (27-1) at 3 p.m.
silver hawks spirit
The FHSAA awarded Lake Howell the 2024 Sunshine State Spirit Showdown Award, given to the most outstanding student division spirit during the game. Members of the association's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee judged the video entries based on criteria such as sportsmanship, participation, organization and spirit conveyed.
baseball winning streak
Broward County baseball powerhouse Stoneman Douglas has won 56 games in a row and is on the verge of setting the state winning streak record.
Calvary Christian in Tampa won 60 straight games over three seasons before losing in the 2018 state championship game.
Douglas, ranked No. 1 in the MaxPreps national rankings, had given up just one goal heading into Thursday's home game against Tampa Jesuit (3-2), which started the season ranked No. 6 in the MaxPreps national rankings.
In the only win or loss so far decided by eight points or less, the Eagles defeated Talavera 2-0, thanks to sophomore left-hander Gio Rios' strong pitching with two hits and 18 strikeouts.
Douglas was the 7A state champion in 2022 and 2023.
additional points
• Windermere High School's Ty Head went 4-for-4 with a single, triple and home run in the Wolverines' 8-0 win over Horizon. He had four RBIs and three stolen bases.
• Robbie Mitchell pitched 5 1/3 innings and had 11 strikeouts in Oviedo's 3-0 win over Lyman.
• Trinity Prep's McKenna Hawley scored 17 points in a 9-3 softball win vs. Geneva School.
• Two-sport standout Caden Hershberger led Lake Mary (8-0), the reigning state champion in boys lacrosse, to an 11-9 win over Lambert, one of the top programs in Georgia, with a 3-0 lead. He recorded a goal and two assists. Hershberger, the Rams' football receiving leader, has committed to play lacrosse for North Carolina.
• Lake Brantley pitcher Lauren Compton led softball to a 6-1 (6-2) home win over Montverde. The Patriots (4-1) were a 7A state runner-up in 2022 and a team that reached the Final Four last season.
• Kennedy Gibson and Emma Semoni pitched eight scoreless innings in Oviedo's 1-0 win against Clearwater Calvary Christian.
• Lake Minneola junior Kai Evans, last year's track national champion in the 400 hurdles, continues to thrive. At the River City Relays Classic held at the University of North Florida, he won the 110-meter hurdles in 14.52 seconds, the 200-meter hurdles in 21.58 seconds, and the 400-meter hurdles in 53.92 seconds. Evans has won all nine individual races he has competed in.
• Olympia senior O'Maria Gordon was No. 1 in the state in the girls' long jump at 19 feet, 4 inches at the Titans' invitational meet last week.
Varsity Content Editor Buddy Collings can be reached by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.
