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Sebring Volleyball Wilts Against Much-Improved Braden River Team

Jesse Osbourne/Highlands Today

Sebring volleyball coach Venessa Sinness addresses her team during the Streaks’ upset loss to Braden River on Wednesday while junior Hannah Shoop (center) looks on.

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By Christopher  Hoffman | Highlands Today

Published: October 26, 2007

SEBRING — The waterfall of cheers and tears cascaded over the Sebring High School gym on Wednesday.

Cheers were heard after the final point was won by the No. 3 -seeded Braden River Pirates and the joyous celebration ensued, while the tears of a bitter loss stung into the girls of the second-seeded Sebring volleyball team, after the Blue Streaks were swept (25-21, 25-21, 25-19) in the semifinals of the Class 4A-District 10 volleyball tournament.

"We just ran into a team that had nothing to lose," said Blue Streak senior Rachael Ashley. "We started too late and couldn't establish our block. Then our setting and communication weren't there, and it became a domino effect.

"I think it was almost routine to see Sebring playing for a district championship year after year, and we were a little bit complacent."

Ashley has had to swallow this bitter pill once before.
During her freshman year in '04, Ashley and the Blue Streaks were the No. 1 seed in the district tourney and fell to the hands of the fourth-seeded Pirates.

"It was deja-vu all over again," the Blue Streak senior said. "I think it hurts more this time, because I'm a senior."

Sebring head coach Venessa Sinness tried to surmise what had just taken place.
"Braden River just kept getting better and better every time we played them," Sinness said. "They kept improving and we didn't. We just couldn't handle the pressure, and were not aggressive enough."

With the win, the Pirates faced the DeSoto Bulldogs, who swept the Avon Park Red Devils, in the championship final on Thursday night.

Braden River, who lost both meetings with Sebring this season, found a cohesion that wasn't displayed in previous matches. The Pirates played with passion and senior libero Samantha Tira and junior outside hitter Sarah Tickner were the captains of this ship.

Tira made one spectacular save after another, diving to dig balls and keep the points alive, while Tickner used great sets by her teammates to serve up power shots that Sebring had trouble matching.
"I just came out and played with my heart," Tira said. "Those long rallies really pumped us up. We just had it in our mind before the match that we were going to win."

Tickner's elation couldn't be contained after the match, as she tried to let the win sink in.
"I'm so happy to be going to regionals," Tickner said. "We worked so hard to get to this point. This team really doesn't do so well once they get down, so we made a point to jump on them [Sebring] early.

"We thought about nothing but volleyball coming into the tournament."
The dedication showed right from the onset, with Braden River grappling with the Blue Streaks for points and showing a maturity and determination on the court.

With the score tied at 10 in game one, the Pirates sent a clear message that this was a different team — a much-improved team — than the one that the Blue Streaks faced earlier in the season.
A kill from Pirate senior Brooke Guy and a pair of aces from Tira ignited a 14-3 run that stunned the pro-Blue Streak crowd in attendance.

Sebring made a valiant effort to get back into the match, capitalizing on several Pirate miscues. Junior Hannah Shoop, who normally hurts teams with her power, tipped a pair of shots over the Braden River defense, as the Blue Streaks scored eight unanswered points, but a shot into the net by Sebring sank any chance of a rally.

Game two was the see-saw battle, with Tickner and Tira responding to every Sebring rally. Tickner elevated her play and energized her teammates with five kills and two aces — including the game-ending blasts that put the Blue Streaks on the brink of defeat.

Both teams battled early on in game three, with Sebring taking a 7-6 lead on an ace by Ashley Waldon, but that was the last lead the Blue Streaks would enjoy, as Braden River was in the right place at the right time to get the best of the long rallies, completing the sweep with a six-point victory.
The much-anticipated showdown between No. 1 seed DeSoto and the Blue Streaks will not take place, and Ashley wonders about what could've been.

"It would have been nice to battle for the district title against them one last time," Ashley said. "I think everyone kept talking about us meeting up with DeSoto that they forgot about a very good team in Braden River.

"It didn't really hit me that we're not going to be playing for the championship until I saw everyone crying in the locker room. And I realized that it's over for me at Sebring."

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