Pensacola Catholic volleyball head coach Clay Carrell had one message for his team after they dropped the first two sets to North Bay Haven Charter Academy in the Region 1-3A final on Tuesday.
“I told the girls after the first two, I said, ‘Don’t let it be your last time,” Carrell said. “If it is, don’t let a ball hit the floor. Just give everything you got, no matter what. So when you’re done, you let it all out there.’”
So the Crusaders gave everything they had, leading to a third set win. Then a fourth set win. Then a fifth set win to finish off a reverse sweep (20-25, 20-25, 25-20, 25-17, 16-14) and win the program’s first regional title since 2015.
Pensacola Catholic (21-9) advances to the 3A state semifinals, which will take place Nov. 3 at Polk State College’s Winter Haven Health Center at 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. CT.
Semifinalists will be seeded 1-4 based on the final FHSAA MaxPreps rankings, which will be released after the regional tournament. The Crusaders are the lowest seeded semifinalist based on the Oct. 18 FHSAA rankings, and will likely be the No. 4 seed in the state semifinals. The two semifinal winners will advance to the 3A state championship, which will take place Nov. 5 at 12 p.m.
“It’s just so much work,” Carrell said. “I mean, I’m a fourth-year coach. We have a legacy of winning districts and things and going on, and this group of girls—some have been here four years with me, all four years—and to see the growth and to see what they’ve been able to do, and now to get to the final door, is just a culmination of everything they’ve worked for.”
The Crusaders path there was a revenge tour. After sweeping Freeport in the regional quarterfinals, Catholic won at Florida High in the regional semifinals, avenging a season-ending loss to the Seminoles at home in the same round a year ago.
North Bay Haven (22-6) beat the Crusaders in the 2024 and 2025 District 1-3A championship. Their only loss this month was to North Bay Haven in the district final. It took a total team effort, from those grinding through all five sets on the floor to the players living and dying with every point on the bench.
“They didn’t give up on the bench,” Carrell said. “They wouldn’t let them give up on the floor. And that makes all the difference in the world. You don’t understand how important your bench can be to your players as an entire game.”
The Crusaders enter the state semifinals winners of 11 of their last 13 matches. They have never played for a state championship.
Jay falls to Chipley in Rural Region 1 final
A historic season for Jay is over after Chipley swept the Royals (25-11, 25-23, 25-20).
The Royals (22-5) came up short in their first regional appearance since 2020, while the Tigers (23-6) won are heading to the Final Four for the first time since 1982.
The Tigers previously beat the Royals 3-2 in Jay on Sept. 20.
Jay never got going in the first set. Chipley jumped out to a 14-6 lead and the Royals didn’t have an answer.
Jay tried to flip the script in the second set, leading 20-13 after a 9-0 run. But the Royals couldn’t close it out. Chipley cut the lead to 22-20 before scoring five of the final six points to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set was just as competitive with Chipley pulling ahead 17-14 and holding off Jay from there.
The loss ended a historic season for the Royals, who won their first district title since 1995. Jay is set to lose just two seniors in Mylee Frazier and Kaylee Gilbreath. Gilbreath will play in college at Coastal Alabama.
The Royals should return a 10-player junior class, led by hitters Darby Godwin and Aubreigh Nelson and setter Bailey Lowry, which means Jay should be in the hunt for district and regional titles again next year.
Panama City News Herald High School Sports Reporter Banji Bamidele contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Catholic volleyball wins first regional title since 2015, Jay drops region final
Reporting by Justin Fitzgerald, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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