Fort Lauderdale — — After dominating early, Cardinal Gibbons nearly let one slip away Wednesday.
The Chiefs didn't need much time to take the first two games and build a big lead in the third.
But St. Thomas Aquinas found its rhythm and rallied to force a deciding fifth game.
It was then that Gibbons regained control and secured a 25-22, 25-18, 23-25, 27-29, 15-9 victory over the rival Raiders.
According to Chiefs coach Kathryn Farland, it was the first time since 2006 that Gibbons has beaten St. Thomas.
"None of us have won against them so this is the icing on the season right now," said junior Katie Hillman, who had 22 kills, 19 service points, 14 digs, 10 blocks and four aces for Gibbons. "It's definitely a big thing to win and it shows a lot that we were able to pick ourselves up after some tough calls."
Despite Gibbons' fast start, St. Thomas (6-4) wasn't about to let the Chiefs earn a sweep.
After Gibbons built a 20-15 lead in the third game, St. Thomas chipped away, eventually taking a 23-21 lead on one of Crystal Dedes' three blocks.
Dedes also had 18 kills, one of which allowed St. Thomas to pull within 22-19 in a tough fourth game the Raiders eventually won.
But St. Thomas couldn't finish its comeback attempt.
In the fifth, Gibbons scored five consecutive points on the strength of four Raider errors to build a 10-5 lead.
"We didn't play well and we haven't played consistently well all year," Raiders coach Lisa Zielinski said. "We've been working on it, but we can't close out a match."
Caiti Donahoe had 38 assists, eight digs and five kills for the Chiefs (12-1) and Jessica Wynn added 18 kills, 15 digs and eight blocks.
Allison Belanger and Cassy Congemi each had 18 digs for St. Thomas.
Special Thanks to the Sun Sentinal for their excelent coverage of ladies high school volleyball.
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