P.K. Yonge Volleyball Team Repeats as District Champs, Hits Road For Regional

STARKE — P.K. Yonge proved it’s the top volleyball team in Class 3A District 3 by sweeping the district tournament to repeat as champions Thursday.

After sweeping Crescent City in Tuesday’s semifinals, P.K. Yonge (12-9), the tourney top seed, also swept Interlachen (15-5) in the finals.

The Blue Wave, seeded eight in the region, will play at region top seed Jacksonville Trinity Christian Academy (22-3) at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the quarterfinal.

Immediate Intimidation

P.K. Yonge came into the match fired up and ready to win. The Blue Wave dominated from the start to take a 6-0 lead in Set 1. Three aces in a row by Summer Mandrell and a kill by Holdyn Moore sent the Interlachen Rams straight into timeout.

The Blue Wave continued to dominate the set. The Rams scrambled for points. Most, if n

ot all, of their points were because of unforced errors from P.K. Yonge. Even so, the Rams were only able to score 10 points, as the Blue Wave took the first set.

Coach, Enrique Wiseman had no doubt in his team.

“We had great preparation coming into this game,” Wiseman said. “Our last few games of the season we’ve been building pretty good momentum in our gym. We were prepared for this and we’re excited to get the win of course.”

Second-Set Struggles

The second set proved a little more difficult for the Blue Wave. Both teams fought for the lead as the set began. Again, unforced errors from P.K. Yonge gave the Rams many of their points.

Once the Blue Wave reached 10 points, they were able to create a larger lead to put the Rams behind them. Interlachen struggled to return kills and tips from the Blue Wave. The Rams were able to keep up due to more unforced errors from P.K. Yonge.

Late in the set, a kill and a tip by Jorryn Dye were unreturnable. This was followed by a block from Xyiah Moore to set the crowd ablaze, as P.K. Yonge took the set 25-18.

Mandrell attributes her team’s success to their teamwork and communication.

“Working together is a huge thing. Talking to each other and feeling comfortable with each other is huge,” she said.

Third-set Tribulations

The third set proved even more difficult. The entire set was a give-and-take between the teams fighting for a title. Every time one team scored, the other was on the counterattack.

Wiseman called a timeout while the Wave were down 6-7. The once firedup crowd was silenced by the tension, as Wiseman encouraged his team. His strong voice echoed throughout the gymnasium.

He could be heard telling the girls phrases like “first to 10” reminding the girls that a game is not over until they reach 25.

“We just try to take it one point at a time throughout the match and really just focus on that moment that we’re playing. The rest will take care of itself,” Wiseman said.

The Blue Wave came back to the match still struggling to take the lead. Error after error kept the tension high. Both teams tied at 12 points with no end in sight. Finally, a string of errors by the Rams sent them into timeout.

“The encouragement to start over and have a fresh, clean slate like ‘We got this’ kind of boosts everyone up and brings everyone excitement and like ‘Let’s go!’ you know?” Mandrell said.

This was just what P.K. needed. After the timeout, the Blue Wave went on an eight-point run to make the score 20-13 in this third set. The Rams never scored again.

Senior Autumn James and senior Xyiah Moore closed out the game with a spectacular performance. The Rams were unable to return the ball hit by James after she saved the late rallies with back-to-back digs and kills. Xyiah came in with another kill to seal the deal. P.K. Yonge took the final set 25-13.

District Champions x2

The district champions erupted in cheer as they embraced one another with pure joy.

The P.K. Yonge Blue Wave have secured their second straight district championship by sweeping the Interlachen Rams. pic.twitter.com/Dvbtrobmse

— Kevin Perez (@kevinp305) October 20, 2023

“It feels amazing,” Mandrell said while doing a happy dance. “The adrenaline, it feels amazing to be with my teammates.”

The trophy was lifted and the crowd made their way onto the court. Families celebrated. Pictures were taken. Smiles all around. The P.K. Yonge Blue Wave are district champions once again.

Wiseman and his team now shift their gear toward the state tournament.

“This year I feel like we are better prepared with a harder schedule. So, we’re really ready for anybody this postseason,” he said.

Mandrell said the Blue Wave must balance the district title and the rest of the postseason.

“Enjoying what we have now is amazing,” she said. “Going into practice with an open mindset to learn new things and also have fun. And then, kind of get to business and then fix up little mistakes and errors that we had and really talking to each other on the court.”

P.K. Yonge is preparing for the regional tournament. For now, the Blue Wave celebrate their second consecutive district championship.