Carrollwood Day School set up an all-Bay Area championship with a thrilling Class 3A state semifinal match.
The Patriots defeated Providence 3-1 (25-16, 26-24, 22-25, 27-25) to advance to the school’s first volleyball title game. They will face Clearwater Central Catholic Wednesday at 7 p.m.The action will be carried live on BHSN.
After easily winning the first set, the Patriots had to fight the rest of the way. Carrollwood Day jumped out to an early lead in the second before a 9-2 run by Providence tied it at 12-all.
The Patriots fell behind later in the set, but three-consecutive points tied it at 23-all. They closed out the second set with a 6-1 run to win it.
Providence led throughout most of the third set. But Carrollwood Day made them work for it, fighting off three sets points, including a kill and block by Aisling Sheehan before the Stallions closed out the set and forced a fourth.
In the fourth, Providence took a 17-15 lead thanks to a 7-1 run. But the Patriots fought back with a run of their own, sparked by one of Sheehan’s 26 kills, to tie it at 20-all.
The teams would tie it up again, at 23-all. A Sheehan kill gave the Patriots match point. Providence responded with two-straight points for set point.
Then a kill by Jacklyn Kernohan (14 kills) led three-consecutive points by Carrollwood Day to close out the match.