DEFENDING STATE CHAMP LAKE WORTH CHRISTIAN VOLLEYBALL SWEEPS TRINITY CHRISTIAN IN DISTRICT FINAL

Lake Worth Christian volleyball looked every bit the part of last year’s state title team in Friday night’s district finals victory over Trinity Christian Academy, winning the 2A-District 13 championship in straight sets, 25-12, 25-4, 25-14. The Defenders capitalized on a bevy of errors from a young Trinity team and showed why opponents will be hard-pressed to beat them when production is coming from every gear in head coach Terri Kaiser’s well-oiled machine on the court. “Our passes were very good, so our setters had all the options available to them, and they were using all the options,” Kaiser said of the team’s performance on Friday. “Tonight, they were setting everyone. I think it was very well distributed.” Senior setter Parker Folino was at the center of that distribution, notching 16 assists. Teammate Abby Toeniskoetter was one of many beneficiaries, scoring nine kills, while junior Lexi Jacobs added six kills of her own. Each also contributed a block. “I think one thing that was really working for us was the setter-hitter connection,” Folino said. “I know that in the beginning of the season, that was something we were struggling on. And the passes, we’re getting on target -- which I know for me, as a setter, was perfect, because I was able to run my hitters on the sets that they want.” Junior Lexi Jacobs goes up for a spike attempt during the third set of Friday night's win against Trinity Christian. Jacobs notched six kills and a block in the contest. Kaiser praised the energy coming from the team on Friday, and multiple players, including senior Ali Tomlinson and uunior Lexi Jacobs, said maintaining high energy levels was perhaps the biggest key to their continued success. “I think just the energy in general, not even just the plays,” Tomlinson said. “The way that we all played together and the way we kept the energy up the whole entire match is why we won the game.” Trinity Christian will join Lake Worth Christian in representing Palm Beach County’s 2A-District 13 in regional play, but Warriors head coach Merlin Theleus has several things he wants the team to work on as they grow. “We lack maturity, and we have to work on that,” he said after Friday’s game. “I believe we’re going to get there. We’re very close compared to where we were last year. [We] have excellent defense and excellent setting.” Kaiser said the Defenders still need to fine-tune their game following a shortened regular season, and several players acknowledged the Defenders needed to work on their team blocking, especially against teams with taller hitters up front on the docket in regionals and beyond. Libero Sarah Montero returns a volley during the third set of Friday night's win over Trinity Christian. As the team prepares to face Highlands Christian in the regional quarterfinals, there’s much the Defenders still want to prove. They’ve won 2A title in 2019 with Sarah Franklin, now at Michigan State. The Defenders want to prove they can win it without her, too. “Yes, we don’t have Sarah, but we have those other 11 players on the team who did it and each contributed something, and we have new players coming this year that benefit even more,” Folino said. “Everything we have, we have to give it. We do want back-to-back, and we know what it takes. And that’s how bad we want it. We’ve got to prove it.”