body
Tamry Santos
About News Gazette
The host Bulldogs and Poinciana displayed incredible talent in the District 10 boys volleyball district tournament semifinal Tuesday night in St. Cloud, winning the match and advancing to Thursday's championship game.
The Poinciana Eagles faced a storm of celebration. Celebration, the defending district champion, put up a good fight but couldn't come away with a win as Poinciana dominated the Storm in three sets. In the third set, Celebration fell behind 12-6 and was unable to recover. The Eagles used every tool in their toolbox to get this win. They distributed the ball to the pins and remained aggressive throughout the match. Batter Alan Reyes reached the goal with a variety of shots. He can take the setter out of his system, put the ball in the deep corners, attack the back row, and even play through the middle. #11 Junior Lucas Adkins sealed the Eagles' fate with a roll shot to the donut on Celebrations' side of the goal, allowing the Eagles to advance.
Similar to the Orange Belt Conference tournament three weeks ago, top-seeded St. Cloud faced the rival Harmony Longhorns. And like the other games, it was a 25-23, 23-25, 25-14, 25-19 win for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs used all of their strengths, pushing the ball into deep corners, turning over blocks, and handling overpasses. Liberos from both teams dominated the back row. Nicholas Bruzotta and Will Sutphen of St. Cloud were an unstoppable force, and Nicholas intended to destroy Will. Enrique Soto's fourth set kill ended the match.
Poinciana will return to St. Cloud Thursday at 6 p.m. to crown the district champion.