On Saturday, Nov. 8, Polk State College hosted the 6A Varsity Volleyball State Championship between St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School and Oviedo High School, wrapping up the 2025-2026 season with a victory from Oviedo.
After losing the first two sets 13-25 and 18-25, the Lions bounced back to win three straight: 25-21, 25-17, and 15-12, pulling off a reverse sweep and claiming the state champion title.
This victory marked the end of the Lions’ season, with only two losses during their four-month campaign.
Head coach of the team, Jennifer Darty, said that her team’s consistent drive for effort and full commitment was what really made this season so successful for the team.
“I think every day they came in and worked hard,” Darty said. “I think some days it was a little bit easier to get more out of them than others, but I think that is what ultimately gets us to where we are, because they learned how to face adversity and battle and cling to each other and find ways to really lean in when it mattered most.”
Oviedo focused on teamwork and discipline throughout their season. The players’ connections and trust in one another, both on and off the court, helped them push through tough moments. Delany Sloane, junior, emphasized how their unity played a role in their success.
“I think I’ve just made sure that I’m there for my teammates,” Sloane said. “Establishing a good team bond and close relationships while making sure everyone just knows that we can lean on each other is important.”
This sense of support carried the Lions through several matches, including wins over Bishop Moore Catholic High School, Lake Brantley High School, and Timber Creek High School. It wasn’t easy, however; the team faced challenges throughout the season, such as their region semifinal taking place on Saturday, Oct. 25, the day of the Homecoming Dance.
“There were definitely, like, some setbacks, but I think we’ve… persevered [through] everything, and I think we just really grew as, like, players and people,” said Avery Stephens, a senior on the team. “So I think just like doing that, and then, you know, knowing, coming into the state finals game, we were the underdogs, and St. Thomas Aquinas was back-to-back champs… So I’m really just proud of all we overcame.”
Despite these worries of failure, the players’ maturity and hard work came through at the final moments.
“It’s unreal,” Darty said. “It’s a feeling that you can’t match, you can’t replicate. It’s a feeling I hope every athlete gets to experience, especially athletes here at Oviedo High School.”
Wrapping up the season with the state championships is a big deal, especially for senior players.
“I think being a senior, and that was my last game of volleyball ever, I really went in that third set and just gave it my all,” Stephens said. “I’ve always said I really want a state championship with this team, with this group of girls. So I think really going to that third set, I didn’t want that [a loss] to be our last game together. So I feel like I truly put everything I could give out on the court, and I feel like everyone did too.”
Their season-long commitment and consistency reflected not just their athletic abilities, but a culture built by the coaching staff: Darty, Jeff Schneider, Trisynn Bohne, and Kalen Heyliger.
“The moment they decided to stay determined and come together was the moment that you could see it all kind of coming together,” Darty said.
