BRADENTON — There were jitters in their guts and holes in the defense.
In the end, the Bayshore girls volleyball team succumbed to both Wednesday, losing to visiting St. Petersburg Lakewood 25-11, 25-22, 25-22 in the semifinals of the Class 4A-District 10 tournament.
“We knew that we would make it here, but there were a lot nerves,” Bruins senior Lilla Lukacs said. “We knew this would be our chance to make it to regionals. I think the girls gave it there all, but what lost it for us were little mistakes and mental errors.”
The key error Bayshore failed to fix was the soft spot in its defense. The Spartans capitalized on countless points with drop shots.
“Our first passes were there,” Lakewood coach Sean O’Flannery said. “Once our first passes got to the setter, she had three options. When you have three options, the blockers can’t cheat until the set happens, and when that happened, (Bayshore) was a little late getting over in position.”
The Spartans (14-7) took full advantage.
Lakewood sophomore outside hitter Berkley Whaley led her team with 22 kills and three aces. Lindsey Dodge added nine kills and two blocks.
The Spartans host Braden River at 7 p.m. today for the district title.
Lakewood jumped to a 13-4 lead in the first game and never looked back. The second and third games were nip and tuck the entire way.
The Bruins missed a chance to qualify for the regional playoffs for the second time in school history.
“We didn’t have our ‘A’ game,” Bayshore coach Ralph McElhiney said. “In their hearts they wanted to win, they were trying as hard as they could. ... We were a little short (Wednesday). We are disappointed.”
Lukacs paced the Bruins with 32 digs, 15 spikes, 11 service points and four aces. Bethany Palmer had 23 assists, 16 service points and nine digs for Bayshore (11-16).
As for next season, the Bruins lose just two seniors. Qualifying for the regional tournament could, very well, be a reality.
“We are going to regroup and prepare for next year,” McElhiney said. “We have a positive attitude, and we are going to keep it. We have a game plan, and we are going to keep sticking to our game plan.”
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