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Highlands Today

Red Devils' Big Rally Upends Wildcats

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By BRIAN GJURGEVICH

Highlands Today

Published: September 11, 2008

AVON PARK - Daija Barrett's emphatic kill after a long rally on the match's final point Tuesday night was a fitting ending to the Avon Park volleyball team's five-set, come-from-behind thriller over Hardee at Avon Park High School.

Barrett had seven kills and four blocks - including three stuffs in the last game - and Danielle Tomlinson had nine aces to lead the Devils to a 21-25, 24-26, 25-13, 25-18, 15-11 victory, which ended when Barrett "cranked" the final ball to the floor.

"One thing I can say about this team, when they're down two games, I know they can come back," said Avon Park coach Stephanie Devlin. "A lot of teams give up, but Avon Park has a lot of heart. They know they can do it and they believe in themselves."

Devlin said the Red Devils (2-1 overall) lacked communication in the early going, but were tenacious and played inspired down the stretch to tame the Wildcats.

"We may not be the tallest, biggest or baddest, but we were running into bleachers to get balls," Devlin said. "They weren't playing smart for a while there, but we came out of a timeout and found the holes and played our game."

Melissa Tullo had five aces and Logan Palmer had eight assists, while Jesmary Moya added five assists for the Devils, who are back at it tonight against Palmetto.

See Saturday's Highlands Today for results.

VOLLEYBALL: Lake Placid def. Fort Meade, 25-11, 25-17, 25-16

LAKE PLACID - Kayla Summerfield had nine kills and three aces and Sierra Weaver added eight kills on Tuesday night to help the Lake Placid volleyball team sweep Fort Meade.

Kaneisha Hamilton had five kills and Julie Shrewsbury was 18-for-19 with four aces to improve the Dragons to 6-2 overall.

"They got some really good hits on us," said LP coach Marilyn Jones. "But Kayla had an excellent game and Sierra was tough at the net. We had a little lapse every now and then, but we played pretty well when we were focused, stood up and played our game."

The Dragons hit the road for four straight away matches, beginning with Okeechobee on Monday. They return home on Sept. 23, when they host rival Sebring.

BOYS GOLF: Sebring 158, George Jenkins 169

LAKELAND - Blake Liles fired a 37 for nine holes to earn medalist honors and Zach Foster followed up with a 38 on Monday to lead the Sebring boys golf team to a victory over George Jenkins at The Club at Eaglebrooke.

Sean Garner shot a 40 and Brett Drummond carded a 43 to round out the Streaks' victory over the Eagles.

The Streaks won their second match of the season despite windy conditions and a 3,400-yard layout, factors Sebring coach Vince Liles said were negated in part by the Streaks' length off the tee.

"We don't play any pitch-and-putt courses in our district," Vince Liles said. "All the courses we play are long, and you have to have good course management to score well."

Sebring returns to action on Tuesday, when they host George Jenkins at Sun 'N Lake.

GIRLS GOLF: Celebration 201, Sebring 206, Liberty 296

CELEBRATION - Priscilla Adams shot 43 and Camiel White carded a 50 on Tuesday to lead Sebring to a split in a nine-hole tri-match with Celebration and Liberty.

Celebration defeated Sebring 201-206, while Sebring topped an inexperienced Liberty squad 206-296.

Lindsey Lovett had a 54 and Whitney Belcher rounded out the Streaks' with a 59.

The Streaks are back in action on Saturday, when they host McCarthy and Indian Rocks.

Brian Gjurgevich can be reached at 863-386-5841 or bgjurgevich@highlandstoday.com.

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