It took five sets for the Raiders to punch their ticket to Thursday’s district volleyball title match. Navarre reaches 18 wins and heads to their first district final since 2010 after beating Fort Walton Beach.
Story by Near Post Sports
But it didn’t look so promising after the first two sets. Out of sync, the Raiders foundered 17-25 and 23-25.
“The girls did not want to quit. They knew it was now or never,” head coach Ryan Davenport said.
The momentum swing in the third set was clear, and Navarre pounced 25-14. The Vikings ran with the Raiders in the fourth set — only allowing Navarre a four-point lead at the most — edging to within one point before losing 25-22.
Fast forward to the middle of the final set. Navarre had a 7-6 advantage, and then they outscored Fort Walton 8-1 to close out the match.
Mackenzie England got the match-winning kill.
The Raiders will play the Niceville Eagles Thursday in the Navarre gym. Game time is 6 p.m.
Niceville also needed five sets to dispatch the Milton Panthers.
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