Lady Knights Three-Peat as Regional Champions
November 3, 2015
Two years ago, the Robinson Lady Knights hit the road and defeated the Lely Trojans in five sets for the regional championship. A year later, when the two teams met again in the regional finals, the Lady Knights came out on top in four. Heading into this year’s regional final matchup in Naples, a goal was set: win this one in three. After a two-hour, 45-minute drive, the goal was a thing of the past as Robinson (22-8) claimed their third straight regional title over Lely (21-7) by scores of 25-15, 25-12 and 25-21.
“We wanted to come in and make a statement,” Knights head coach Christen Garcia said. “We did just that.”
After falling behind 4-0 in the first set, Robinson dominated the rest of the way. Kristin Werdine (’19) was all over the court, totaling seven kills, 10 digs and seven aces. Despite never playing volleyball prior to this season, Christiana Rolack (’18) stepped up in a big way on Tuesday night, finishing with five blocks. Captain Catia Sleet (’16) picked up eight kills and 12 digs while fellow captain Rebecca Hill (’16) finished with 20 assists, five kills and three aces.
This trip to Lely was different for the Lady Knights as a bus full of students was there to back them up in their quest for a third straight regional title.
“I am super grateful for the support from our community, our faculty, Ms. Chowning and Helen Sleet for really rallying together [to get] this spirit bus for these kids,” Garcia said. “I know it means a lot to be able to play in front of our fans.”
With the win, Robinson moves on to the state semifinals, which they will host on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The Lady Knights will take on Bishop Moore (25-4), who is ranked fourth in the state.
