BROOKSVILLE — Hernando walked away with the Class 5A, District 7 championship last year after a four-set win over Weeki Wachee in the final.
The Leopards continued that success into this season with a sweep of the Hornets, 25-18, 25-22, 25-20 Tuesday night.
Hernando (4-1, 4-0) was led by the front-line play of sophomore Ali Bronson (12 kills, two aces) and senior Sequoia Sellers (seven kills, one ace).
Down 12-9 to Weeki Wachee (4-3, 3-2) in the first set, the Leopards answered with an 8-0 run to surge to a 17-12 lead. It was an advantage they never surrendered.
“Weeki Wachee has always been one of our biggest rivals,” Bronson said, “and we came out strong, wanting to redeem our title.”
After a solid win in the second game, spurred by intense defense on the back row, Hernando looked to close out the match. Jumping ahead 8-0 in the third, the Leopards put the Hornets in a difficult position for the remainder of the match.
Hernando senior Danielle Harvey and junior Ellen Babor played major roles in the defensive success. Harvey has not played much this season, but she was crucial on a handful of rallies. Babor is in her first varsity season but worked her way onto the court for this rivalry.
“Babor and Harvey really impressed me,” Hernando coach Robin Bailey said. “We’ve been working on two types of defense so that we always have girls that are watching our back line.”
Closing matches was an emphasis in practice over the past week since the Leopards lost 3-2 to Citrus. It was key to the performance of the team Tuesday night.
“We had some problems finishing games,” Bronson said “We played intense all the way until the end, and it showed.”
The Hornets were led by sophomore Miranda Werkmeister (eight kills). Senior Alyssa Cupeles added a match-high four aces.