Niceville beats Leon when it counts, moves on to final four

TALLAHASSEE — The Leon volleyball team won both of its regular-season matches against Niceville.

But the Eagles got the best of the Lions with the season — and a state final four appearance — on the line.

Niceville went into the Lion’s Den and beat Leon in three sets (25-18, 25-23, 25-15) in the Region 1-5A finals Saturday. The victory puts Niceville (23-6) in the state final four, which begins Friday in Lakeland.

“They came ready to play. They’ve been gunning for us all year,” Leon coach Angie Strickland said.

Niceville set the tone for the match in the first game. Its defense seemingly got to every ball, and its front line dominated en route to a 25-18 win.

Leon made the necessary adjustments in the second set, which was filled with long volleys and tense moments. In the end, Niceville edged Leon 25-23 to take the 2-0 lead in the match.

Strickland offered a simple explanation for Niceville’s win in Game 2.

“They just didn’t let the ball hit the floor,” she said.

Niceville coach Elizabeth Falls noticed Leon’s adjustment, but just told her team to stay the course.

“Honestly, we just told them they had to keep going for everything, that nothing could drop,” she said. “They had to track down their hitters, and they did a real good job of it.”

Leon senior co-captain Anna Marie DiSalvo said the Lions just got away from their game defensively.

“We just didn’t come swinging away and our normal defensive team wasn’t there today,” she said. “We worked all week on this game plan of blocking and a strong defense. We had our game plan and what they were going to do. They mixed it up and our ‘D’ wasn’t there.”

Leon led 5-2 in the third set before Niceville ripped off eight straight points. Then, up 14-10, the Eagles scored the game’s next six points to take a commanding 20-10 lead before finishing Leon off 25-15.

“We just couldn’t break their serve,” Strickland said.

DiSalvo said: “We knew what we had to do to win, but I just don’t think we came prepared. I think we weren’t mentally set before the game.”

Niceville will take on Martin County in the 5A state semifinals. Martin County defeated Saint Thomas Aquinas in three sets Saturday.

“The girls just came ready to play,” Falls said. “Every girl came out hard. There were no mistakes. The sets were perfect, the girls were just putting them down. They knew where to go, they never gave up.

“Our offense and defense were just amazing. And they both worked really hard. As a team they were just all together.”