Bucs will face Baker on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
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Branford outside hitter Kayley Johnson (middle) celebrates with teammates after a lull against Newberry during the Class 1A state semifinals on Monday at Polk State College. (JACK HOWDESHELL/Special the Reporter)
WINTER HAVEN — A special season has turned into the best ever at Branford.
With one more win, the Buccaneers can top it off with their first state title.
Kennedy Walker was at the top of her game again, delivering 15 kills with 21 digs to lead No. 2 Branford to a 25-15, 25-17, 25-18 sweep over No. 12 Newberry in the Class 1A state semifinals on Monday afternoon at Polk State College. While Walker was a force to be reckoned with at the net from the outside, she had plenty of help from her teammates as well, including eight kills from outside hitter Jadyn Mosley and seven from outside/middle hitter Madison Ward.
Branford will face No. 4 Baker, which beat No. 3 Liberty County in four sets in the other semifinal, in the state championship Tuesday at 4 p.m. It’ll be the first title game appearance in program history for the Buccaneers, who have already set a record for wins in a season in addition to winning both district and regional titles in the same season.
Monday’s victory was the 20th sweep of the year for the Buccaneers, who have now won 14 straight and haven’t played a match past a fourth set all year.
“This is definitely history for Branford,” Bucs head coach Mendy Sikes said. “Everything they’ve set their mind to they’re accomplishing, so we’re over-the-top excited.”
It was another all-around team performance from Branford (25-4), which also put together a stellar defensive effort that included 31 digs apiece from outside hitter Kayley Johnson and libero Erika Rioux, as well as 24 digs from setter Andi Sabourin. Mosley also had 16 digs on a defense that was diving for any ball it could get its hands on to keep possessions alive.
That effort helped limit Newberry (15-15) to just 18 total kills, seven of which came from Hailey Tharp while five came off the hands of Sarah Watson.
“Every single player played their position and played it very well,” Sikes said. “We told them to go for everything. You never know when you can make a great play. Even if you’re not sure, always give 100% and go for it, and they did. They left it all out there and they were able to actually make three amazing plays that typically this team probably would not have made, but they dug a little bit deeper. There’s a little bit more on the line and they brought what it took.”
Each set was tight midway through until Branford closed each one with long runs. The Panthers led at various points in all three frames, but the Buccaneers rattled off runs of 11-1, 11-3 and 9-4 to win each one.
Walker was the catalyst down of the stretch of each frame. The senior delivered four kills during the decisive run in the first set and three during the second set run before later scoring four of her team’s final nine points to close the match, including back-to-back kills to finish off Newberry.
“Kennedy was dominating,” Sikes said. “She has been dominating this whole season, but since we started postseason, she has brought it. If there’s ever a player that I want to have the ball at the end, she’s certainly that girl. She just played amazing. Her leadership was just as good as her kills.”
The Panthers could never build leads deep into sets. They were up 6-4 in the first before the teams went back and forth, tying another a few times before a kill from Walker broke a 14-14 score to kick off the 11-1 run where the Bucs scored the final nine points.
Newberry led 3-0 in the second and later 12-11 but could never put together a run to pull the match even. Branford once again battled back and forth with a few ties until one of Anabella Dicks’ three kills started the 11-3 run to put her team up 2-0.
The third set saw the Panthers led early again, this time 4-1, but the Buccaneers had an answer again. Even when Newberry pulled within 16-14, Walker brought Branford home to victory like she had in the previous two frames.
Sikes contributed the Bucs’ decisive runs not only to the play of Walker but also to her team’s mental toughness, ability to shake off errors and not getting frustrated with each other.
“I felt like the team all together, the energy was very, very high and they supported one another,” Sikes said. “There wasn’t any frustration when any one person made a mistake — hit the ball out of bounds, hit the ball into the net. They just shook it off and were confident in their teammates.”
Branford will get a Baker squad in the championship match that enters 17-11, winners of eight straight after an up-and-down start to the season. Baker knocked off Liberty County, which upset top-ranked Blountstown in the regional finals, 25-22, 26-24, 20-25, 25-23 in the first semifinal on Monday.
“This year has been special no matter what happens tomorrow,” Sikes said. “Their ultimate goal at the very beginning of the season was to make it here and be state champions, and they’ve focused on one game at a time. And they plan to do that again tomorrow.”