South Walton’s Seahawks defeated the Navarre High School volleyball team in a three-set match Thursday.
Story by Near Post Sports
The Seahawks (18-6) and the Lady Raiders (17-8) both ended their regular seasons, and each have top seeds in their respective district tournaments.
It was senior night for Navarre, and the Raiders took the 14-25, 18-25, 15-25 loss on the chin.
“We ran a lot of faster to medium balls tonight,” said Seahawk junior setter Kenlee Wood. “It’s new, but it’s going really well. And it’s giving us a lot of kills.”
South Walton head coach Meaghan Allen said her team is rolling strong into the post season.
“If we’re relentless on defense, we really frustrate our opponents,” Allen said. “I feel like tonight … is probably the best defense we’ve played all season.”
Raiders’ head coach Ryan Davenport took the loss in stride, noting that the Seahawks aren’t your average 18-6 team. They’re ranked #9 in Florida’s 4A classification.
“South Walton is a fantastic team. They never let the ball drop. They hardly made any hitting errors,” he said. “(When) we play anybody like that, it’s going to be tough to beat them.”
The Lady Raiders begin the 1-6A district tournament next week, playing the victor from a Crestview-Fort Walton Beach first-round match.
All photos © 2021 by Stu Camp can be purchased in high resolution at https://stuartcamp.smugmug.com/
Senior Libero Jaci Johnson digs a ball during the three-set loss to South Walton.
Senior Paige Parkinson passes a ball toward a hitter.
All photos © 2021 by Stu Camp can be purchased in high resolution at https://stuartcamp.smugmug.com/
