Elise Walch knew as soon as her feet left the floor, she was going to end the match and walk away a champion.
The 6-foot-5 Martin County senior middle hitter recorded her 32nd kill of the night to give the Tigers volleyball team a 25-16, 17-25, 25-21, 25-21 win over Leon for the Class 5A state title Thursday at the Lakeland Center.
"I could feel it," said Walch, who accounted for the Tigers' final four points on kills and had 12 in the last set. "I wanted it so bad. ... I am just so happy. It's such a great way to go out."
The second the ball dropped to the Lions' side of the court, the Tigers (31-1) rushed to the middle of the floor, and the rows of fans dressed in blue erupted in cheers.
Martin County entered the match ranked 10th nationally by PrepVolleyball.com and backed it up with the program's second state title. The Tigers, who also won a championship in 1994, denied Leon (24-6) its first title after making the Final Four each of the last four seasons.
They will officially celebrate Friday by taking a trip to Busch Gardens.
"This caps a Cinderella season," Tigers coach Marty Bielicki said, noting the championship run was set in motion with a comeback regional final win over St. Thomas Aquinas. "I'm so proud of these girls."
Senior libero Lexi Lloyd added, "It's so unreal. It hasn't really set in that we are state volleyball champs. It's so amazing all our hard work paid off in the end."
Scrappy defense carried Martin County early in the match, as Leon forced the Tigers to get down on the floor with good ball movement around the blocks. Lloyd led the way with 23 digs for the match but had help from some big saves by Lauren Brinskelle and Mallori Moffat, particularly in the first set. The Tigers' only deficit was on the first three points of the set.
Martin County struggled in the second set, though, recording 10 hitting errors to Leon's two, and the Lions rolled to an eight-point win.
"We came out really pumped, and I think that's why we lost the second game," Bielicki said. "We had such an adrenaline rush wanting to prove ourselves to Leon. .. (Leon) played an excellent game. We knew we were going to be in a fight, and it was. We could have slumped very easily, but our girls were determined."
By the third game, Elise Walch, and her sister, sophomore middle hitter Nicole Walch, started heating up, combining for 15 kills in the set. Nicole finished with 15 kills and five blocks.
With Martin County leading 20-15 in the fourth set, the Lions rallied back to within one point at 21-20 before Elise Walch, who also had 3 aces and 2 blocks during her stellar night, closed the door on them.
"With those two great players out there, it's just really hard to defend," Leon coach Joy Becker said. "We were running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to run the ball down. I don't think my team could have hustled any more. ... We left it all out on the court, but I think Martin County played one of the best matches they have played all year to beat us."
MARTIN COUNTY (31-1) - CLASS 5A STATE CHAMPION
No. Player Cl. Pos.
2 Lauren Brinskelle Sr. OH
3 Mallori Moffat So. S/OH
4 Lexis Lloyd Sr. LIB
5 Kelly Brown Sr. DS
7 Madison Arnold Jr. MH
8 Saige Popson Jr. S
9 Monica Meyer Sr. MH
10 Molly O’Neil Jr. OH
11 Kayla Cormier Sr. S
13 Sara Loomis Jr. OH
16 Tierney Seman Jr. OH
17 Morgan Lydon Jr. DS
22 Elise Walch Sr. MH
28 Nicole Walch So. MH
99 Madison Lydon Fr. OH
Coach: Marty Bielicki (28th year, 636-191)
Assistant coaches: Jim Butski, Laura Schoppe, Whitney Warren
Managers: Jenny Maine, Courtney Gates
Athletic director: Greg Hendricks
Principal: Joan Hunt
Special Thanks to TCPalm.com for this story.
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