Quarter-final day at the elite level of the EA Men’s U18 European Water Polo Championships in Oradea did not disappoint. While Montenegro thrashed France and Italy’s water polo masterclass kept Spain on six goals, the other two clashes were real thrillers. The Greeks’ and the Serbs’ more precise shot-making made the difference in the crucial moments, as they edged out Croatia and Hungary respectively in truly epic battles.
Emotions ran high after Serbia’s thrilling quarter-final win over Hungary in Oradea. Credit: Aniko Kovacs/European Aquatics
Quarter-finals
Montenegro v France 21-11
The French took the lead, but Montenegro responded with a 5-0 storm. The battle gained some extra heat in the second period as just two seconds after France pulled one back, they were awarded a penalty as one of the Montenegrin players entered late, after the refs had already given the sign for the restart. This was a special way to score two goals in two seconds for 5-3 – but even this extra support was short-lived. France held on till 7-5, then the Montenegrins hit four in a row and never looked back.
The Montenegrins were absolutely superior against France, Credit: Aniko Kovacs/European Aquatics
All in all, they netted eight in the second period and added seven more in the third – it was a true power demonstration as they went 18-6 up and there were still eight minutes to play. Their grip on the game was loosening a bit in the fourth, but Montenegro still won by ten to reach the semis.
Croatia v Greece 16-17
The opening period saw some hectic moments with finely played attacks mixed with turnovers and erroneous defending. Just when the Croats seemed to have settled and took a 4-2 lead, the Greeks came back to draw level in 52 seconds, so the first ended in 4-4.
Viktor Toncinic’s action goal kicked off the second, then Greece missed an extra, but Kosmas Patsinilakos equalised with a fine action hit. Greek goalie Dimitrios Berdes came up big as he stopped Maro Susic’s penalty and another after the corner, while still in man-down. Soon Georgios Tsanakakis netted a 6 on 5 which somewhat shifted the momentum as the Greeks could go ahead, still, they were unable to hold on for the lead as the Croats levelled it up three times till halftime. That also showed that the offences were ruling the game at this stage, scoring ten goals alone in this period, five apiece, to make it 9-9 at halftime.
Trends changed only slightly in the third, it was the Croats’ turn to take advantage, but the Greeks caught them up every time. It was another heated battle, filled with great action goals, fine finishes, lucky rebounds also a couple of fine saves in between, those were rarer, though, as this period also brought four goals apiece. The Croats missed a some promising 3 on 2 counters when they could have doubled their lead, while Greece’s giant centre-forward Ilian Angelopoulos hit the bar from an open chance in the last seconds, which kept the 13-all result before the final quarter.
A real team effort enabled the Greeks to oust the mighty Croats. Credit: Aniko Kovacs/European Aquatics
Toncinic’s luckily bouncing ball from the centre made it way to the net 16 seconds into the fourth, but just a small lapse in the defence’s attention was enough for Dimitrios Chatzis to his his fourth from the perimeter for 14-14. Leftie Anter Jerkovic was set to outshine him, though, as he netted a fine one from the wing right away and that was his sixth in the afternoon.
Both sides wasted good one-on-one opportunities with long assists, then just entering the last four minutes Angelopoulos fended off his defender to put the ball to the empty net after a great assist – and Greece were ahead for the first time in the second half. After two of the finest hands chose poor finishes, Susic, then Chatzis, it was Jerkovic’s turn to step up and he levelled it up from the perimeter for 16-16. Chatzis made a crucial steal in a man-down and Panagiotis Maragkoudakis’ pinpoint shot put the Greeks ahead with 1:29 from time and the Croats missed another 6 on 5. The Greeks took no risk, burnt their time. Croatia had 18 seconds to save the match to a shootout but their 7 on 6 didn’t work as Susic dropped the ball and Toncinic’s emergency shot was caught by the goalie, sending Greece to the semis at the end of this 33-goal epic.
Hungary v Serbia 13-14
Players didn’t hold back anything right from the beginning – after three minutes of battling, the Serbs drew first blood, but Hungary also buried their first man-up. Two outstanding blasts followed, by Petar Micanovic, then by Bence Fiedler for 2-2. A nice man-up play gave the lead for the Magyars for the first time, then Kristof Damosy stopped a penalty – but a fierce shot eight seconds from time by Milan Zelic brought the Serbs back to even.
Hungary took a flying start in the second – within 48 seconds they went 5-3 up. But the Serbs didn’t panic – their leftie Luka Vojinovic stunned Damosy with two fine shots from the perimeter for 5-5. Maxim Cseh also hit one from action, the both sides missed a man-up before the Serbs equalised once more, again from a 6 on 5. Mor Benedek stepped up with a nice finish from an extra, then the Magyars earned another exclusion, but this time Cseh hit the bar, and the remaining time was enough for the Serbs to force a man-up and find the perfect finish by Novak Lazic, just 1.9 before the buzzer, for 7-7.
The Serbian shots from the perimeter made the difference in their match against Hungary. Credit:Aniko Kovacs/European Aquatics
Vojinovic netted his fourth right away after the restart, followed by four minutes of extreme battling with loads of swimming and less precise shotmaking, including one missed man-ups at both ends. Then came a Hungarian man-up, after a time-out, and that let enough time for both sides to refresh their minds and that triggered a series of goals in the last three minutes. The Serbs came out on top as they could score their usual dying-seconds goal from a man-up to lead 8-9.
And Luidi Canepa’s blast early in the fourth gave the Serbs a two-goal lead for the first time. This triggered a special duel – between the Serbs shooters and Mor Benedek. The Serbs found the holes on the Hungarian wall at crucial moments, just when Benedek managed to pull one back soon, and then when, after a nervous phase with a series of misses, he brought the Magyars back to even for 12-12. After Neskovic’s fine 6m shot, Lazic sent the ball home once more in 37 seconds to make it 12-14 with 1:12 to go (the Serbs netted four action goals from the perimeter in the last eight minutes).
Benedek hit his fourth in a row, seventh in total, just 10 second later, keeping his team in the match single-handedly (which, his legendary father Tibor did many times in his heyday). The Magyars had one last possession to force a shootout, but the Serb defence were on high alert and made the last and winning steal.
Cooking from the same recipe as their seniors at the Paris Olympics, they ousted a group-winner in the quarters, after three defeats in the group – and made the semis. We’ll see if they could go all the way too.
Italy v Spain 11-6
After two thrillers, in the session’s last match Italy made sure that the last minutes of this game would not provide the same excitements as the previous ones. They came up with a tactical masterpiece against Spain, played with discipline and precision to down their Mediterranean arch-rival. Limiting a Spanish team to six goals especially in this new water polo in the 25m pool requires special efforts and the Italian boys were up to the task.
They jumped to a 2-0 lead in two minutes, the Spaniards needed five minutes to get on the board, but once they pulled one back, they missed three 6 on 5s in a row, and the counter launched after the third one ended in a penalty, which Federico Trimarchi buried for a 3-1 lead.
Defences worked brilliantly for almost five minutes without letting any exclusions or goals. That took its toll as players got worn out too much in this phase to keep up the tightness in the back – so goals started coming again. Spain hit first, by Ricardo Sordo, from action, but the answer also arrived immediately when Giuseppe Alessandrini put away an extra. That was copied soon, Mauro-Andres Millan netted another one from action, and Alessandrini converted a 6 on 5 again for 5-3. Killing Spain’s last man-up secured that Italy kept its two-goal advantage by halftime.
Spain also missed a man-up early on and soon they paid a heavy price, as this time Alessio Olivi buried two extras in succession and Italy were already up by four. Soon Spain’s outlooks got even darker when they wasted another extra and Alessandrini swam away for a counter to make it 8-3.
A huge clash was more painful for the Spaniards at the end . Credit: Aniko Kovacs/European Aquatics
The emergency time-out from the Spanish bench halted the Italian rush, they killed the next two man-downs, Tiago Carrio netted a fine one from action in between, what’s more, Oriol Hurtado gave some hope for the Spaniards with a last-gasp goal.
And they managed to add a third one early in the fourth, for 8-6 and had two more possessions to cut the gap but turnover fouls ruined their attempts and Antonio Chianese’s goal after a nice steal looked very much like a decisive moment. Indeed, it was, the Spaniards were desperate, but they were unable to make good decisions, went on missing man-ups (including a 5 on 4) and never scored again (in the last 6:32 minutes). On contrary, the Italians added two more from the distance to celebrate their huge win and a well-deserved spot in the semi-finals.
Heartbroken Spanish players after their quarter-final defeat. Credit: Aniko Kovacs/European Aquatics
Classification matches
The Netherlands were unable to maintain the level they had shown at the group stage against their mighty rivals, Hungary, Italy and Greece. After bowing to France, they couldn’t match the speed of the Germans either. The first half was balanced but in the third Germany went ahead by three, and with a couple fast goals early in the fourth, the gap grew to four, at 6-10. The Dutch had a last surge to halve the distance in 34 seconds, but Tobias Scherrieble sent the ball home right away from the next 6 on 5 to make it 8-11 and that killed the rivals’ momentum. Indeed, the Netherlands couldn’t score in the last 5:35 minutes while the Germans added two more to play for the ninth place.
They will have a re-match with Malta, the surprise team here, who won an emotion-filled encounter over Poland. At one stage, tensions reached the boiling point not only in the pool – where three red cards highlighted the young warriors’ sometimes untamed dedication – but in the stands too, where security persons had to separate spectators who appeared ready to clash themselves as the game heated up in the pool.
Team Malta hit historic heights by advancing to the classification match for ninth place through a hard-earned win over Poland. Credit:Aniko Kovacs/European Aquatics
And the fight never ceased as it was a toe-to-toe battle. Both sides could have won it in regular time, Poland took the lead from time to time, but Malta always found the way to equalise. After 9-9, the Maltese had a man-up 45 seconds from time, missed it, but the Polish didn’t notice their team-mate standing unmarked in front of the goal. So the match came down to penalties. Adrian Pawlak was unlucky to hit the post twice in the shootout – the first came after a Maltese miss, the second cost the win as it came in the sudden death. The Maltese celebrations were very much similar when a team clinch the gold medal – understandably as Malta has never reached the heights of being able to play for the ninth place at a major age-group tournament.
Turkiye claimed the 13th position as they managed to beat host Romania once more, as on the opening day, and again by a single goal. The 15th went to Georgia who downed Ukraine in an action-packed, 31-goal game – Lukas Khurtsilava led the charge with 8 hits.
Division One, Rio Maior
Among the group-winners Bulgaria and Israel enjoyed easy wins in the quarter-finals as they both took a commanding 9-1 lead by halftime to thrash Lithuania and Slovakia respectively.
The quarter-final day also brought a couple of tough battles in the Division One tournament . Credit: Nikola Krstic/European Aquaics
Moldova fell to Belgium in a thrilling match where the lead was changing constantly. The Belgians had a slim 6-7 advantage before the last break, but Moldova worked hard and managed to shut out their rivals for five minutes while they could score twice to retake the lead for 8-7. The Belgians also kept their composure and Ilyas Viaene netted a man-up to make it even with 2:21 to go. Though they missed a golden opportunity soon, a 6 on 4, later Robin Sergeant put away a simple man-up which turned out to be the winning hit 62 seconds from time as the Moldavians were unable to respond.
Something similar happened in the match between Portugal and Switzerland which also offered a series of twists and turns. The hosts staged a 3-0 run after 1-2, but the Swiss hit back with a 0-4 run to lead 4-6 deep into the third. They still held on for 5-7 with Matteo Ribatti’s action goal in their first possession, but next came another whirlwind from the home side, three hits in a row again with a killed man-down en route. With 4:12 to go, they went 8-7 up and could have closed down the game but missed three 6 on 5s in succession. The Swiss hit back, Aron Horvath buried a man-up with 1:08 on the clock for 8-8 – but their joy was cut short as Rafael Monteiro’s 6m blast found the back of the net 46 seconds from time and the Swiss missed their last extra.
Sofia Concepcion, Dr. Joaquin Garcia, Volleyball. All-County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Sofia Concepcion, MH, Dr. Joaquin Garcia senior: Led the Bulldogs to a district championship and to a 5A regional quarterfinal; recorded 151 total blocks, 98 kills and .370 hitting percentage; had 15 blocks in a match; Athlete of the Week recipient.
Hailey Ferwerda, West Boca Raton, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Wednesday November 19, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Hailey Ferwerda, OH, West Boca senior: Led the Bulls to a district championship and to a 6A regional final; recorded 21 kills in regional semifinal win; registered a team-high 228 kills, 171 digs and 47 aces.
Abi Chin Lee, Seminole Ridge, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Wednesday November 19, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Abi Chin Lee, OH, Seminole Ridge junior: Team captain; recorded 296 kills, 287 digs, 281 service points, 241 receptions and 51 aces; Team Offensive MVP recipient; FACA All-State selection.
Bella Levitt, Dwyer, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Wednesday November 19, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Bella Levitt, MB/OH, Dwyer junior: Recorded 291 kills, 49 blocks and 25 aces; team captain; had 21 kills in regional quarterfinal and 18 kills in regional semifinal; JVA Watchlist Class of 2027; Prep Dig No. 7 ranked middle blocker in Florida for Class of 2027.
Alexia Marchese, Dwyer, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Alexia Marchese, OH, Dwyer junior: Led the Panthers to a 7A regional final; team captain; registered 275 kills, 262 digs and 45 aces; had 28 kills in a match; Dwyer Athlete of the Week; Team Offensive MVP recipient.
Kaija Fullerton, Jupiter Girls Volleyball (Courtesy/Jupiter High School)
Kaija Fullerton, OH, Jupiter junior: Led the Warriors to a district title and 7A regional final appearance; registered 27 kills in regional semifinal win; recorded 328 kills and 141 digs; Jupiter High School Athlete of the Week selection.
SECOND TEAM
Victoria Addazio, setter, Dwyer freshman
Hadley Clark, libero, Boca Raton senior
Daniela Garrido, libero, Dr. Joaquin Garcia senior
Payton Lotz, libero, Dwyer sophomore
Elise Sergent, OH, Jupiter senior
Lillie Voss, setter, Jupiter junior
HONORABLE MENTION
Boca Raton: Meya Cooper, Lia Ray, Kiara Rose
Dr. Joaquin Garcia: Sophia Bui
Dwyer: Teaghan Greenman, Addison Inge
Jupiter: Ainslee Aden, Grace Lovell
Lake Worth: Illeysha Rodriguez
Palm Beach Central: Zoe Pikula
Park Vista: Madelyn Moye, Elsa Yonko
Royal Palm Beach: Camila Echeverry, Leslie Mentor
Seminole Ridge: Capri Corey, Emma Ginther, Kyla Wallace
Spanish River: Amelie Fortinho
Wellington: Nicole Koch
West Boca Raton: Hendrix Goodwin, Chloe Khoury, Sofia Maldonado
COACH OF THE YEAR
Blane Betz, Jupiter girls volleyball
Blane Betz, Jupiter: The Warriors finished 23-5, won a district championship and reached a 7A regional final. “I feel like this year’s team and their success was really about learning how to bring a family of players together. We had players from all four grade levels. We had players from out-of-state and seeing them work together as a family to figure out how to be their best I think was most impressive about this team. Their patience throughout the season as we figured out the best scenarios for our team success was pretty great as well. And of course, I have the best coaching staff around. I could not do what I do without them.”
For many years, Aaliyah Green’s family has been synonymous with basketball in both Frederick County and the DMV area.
Her mother, Tami, played Division I basketball at Howard University and has coached a national championship-winning AAU team. Her father, Erick Sr., is the current Millbrook boys’ basketball coach, and previously coached the girls’ team, leading them to a Class 4 state championship in 2018.
Her siblings all played for Millbrook. Her brother, Erick Jr., played at Virginia Tech from 2009-2013 and has carved out a professional career, playing in the NBA and other leagues. Her sister, Courtni, played at Delaware from 2012-2016, while her sister Madison played for James Madison from 2018-2022.
Despite this extensive family history, Aaliyah was determined to carve out her own athletic path. She started playing volleyball in sixth grade and eventually “fell in love” with the sport. Now a junior at Millbrook, Green’s hard work has resulted in her being named The Winchester Star Volleyball Player of the Year.
Green said some initial encouragement from her mom helped her begin playing volleyball.
“Ever since I was little, I always just said I would never play basketball. I was surrounded by it forever. I was just like, ‘I can’t touch a basketball, I can’t be like them,’” Green said. “My mom said, ‘Your siblings are D1, you’ve got to find a sport that’s going to send you D1. If it’s not going to be basketball, then it’s got to be something else. So I was like, ‘I guess it’s time to go hunting for a sport.’ And I found volleyball.”
Back in June, Green made good on her longtime goal, announcing her verbal commitment to the University of Connecticut. She certainly did the Huskies proud this past fall, putting together her strongest season to date while helping guide Millbrook to a 19-4 record.
Green averaged an area-best 5.40 kills per set, frequently causing chaos for defenses trying to keep her thunderous attacks off the floor. Green had 405 total kills this year after ranking seventh in the area with 233 kills in 2024. No one else on the team had more than 153 kills this year.
She also averaged 2.95 digs per set (sixth-best in area) and 0.68 aces per set (eighth-best) en route to winning the Northwestern District Class 4 Player of the Year award and also being named to the Class 4 All-State First Team.
Millbrook head coach Dave White, who made his Pioneers’ debut this past season, said Green’s “biggest asset” is her ability to attack the ball.
“Her attacking is definitely the most impressive part of her game,” White said. “Her ability to hit with a lot of range and different angles, and the power with which she hits … a lot of that is coming from the great athleticism that she has in terms of her vertical and getting up and being above a lot of the blockers.”
Although White only recently began coaching at Millbrook, he’s coached several of his current players, including Green, on Blue Ridge Volleyball Association’s indoor and beach volleyball teams. Green — who currently plays for Paramount Volleyball Club based in Leesburg — said playing for White again this season helped make her “very comfortable” on the court, further aiding her performance.
Blue Ridge was the first volleyball team Green played for, so White has been there for a large portion of her journey with the sport. He said her offensive abilities have come a long way over the years.
“I think over the past couple seasons with her travel and previous high school season, I think [her attacking] has become more natural,” White said. “I knew Aaliyah when she was in the seventh grade, and it was not natural. I think she’s put a lot of work into really making an effort to get her feet to the ball and just being more consistent as a hitter. When she was younger, she might have been a little wild, but I think now she’s much more consistent.”
White added that, coming into this past season, Millbrook made it a point of emphasis to make Green “a pivotal part” of its offense. With a strong group of teammates, including setters Paisley Cook and McKenna Homans, complementing her offense, Green left a large impact and helped the Pioneers reach the postseason.
There, they defeated Handley in dramatic fashion in the Region 4D quarterfinals. Against the Judges, the Pioneers trailed 2-1 before rallying to win the fourth set 25-19 and the final set 15-10. Green finished that night with 27 kills and said the comeback win was her favorite moment of the season.
“The quarterfinal game against Handley, when we won against them in the fifth set, I think that definitely boosted our confidence,” Green said. “It was just a great game. The comeback and the energy and how the team gathered together in the fifth set [was memorable].”
Although the Pioneers went on to lose 3-1 to eventual state champion James Wood in the Region 4D semifinals, they set a strong precedent for 2026. With only two members of the team graduating at the end of the school year, Millbrook could return 12 players from this year’s team during Green’s senior season.
With Green already having achieved a lot, she said her goal is for the Pioneers to find further postseason success and to do “more of what I did this year” individually.
White said he’s excited to coach Green for one final go-around and anticipates her stepping up as a senior leader for the team going forward. He also said he’d like to see her continue sustaining her offensive prowess.
“Continued success attacking, and even more consistency from her on that pin is going to free up our middle and our opposite hitters. So more of what she’s doing [is the goal],” White said.
“She supports everyone, just as they’re supporting her. I’d love to see next season, going into it, I’d love for her to really take hold of that leadership role. I know she’s capable, and I think that’ll take us to the next level next season.”
One of the hardest accomplishments to secure in sports is to leave while at the mountaintop. Following James Wood volleyball’s championship season, that’s exactly what head coach Adrienne Patrick is doing.
In her final season before transitioning to her new role as an assistant principal at Millbrook, Patrick led the Colonels to their fourth straight state championship, while also guiding them to a program-record 30 wins. As a result, she is The Winchester Star Volleyball Coach of the Year for the third time in four years.
Patrick ended her six-year tenure as James Wood’s coach with a 128-19 record, guiding the Colonels through the postseason en route to a fourth consecutive region title and another Class 4 state title.
James Wood bested E.C. Glass 3-0 to take home the Region 4D championship, before later knocking off Loudoun County 3-1 at Virginia State University to win the state championship. The Colonels are the first Frederick County team in any sport to win four straight state titles.
Patrick also coached standout individuals, as senior outside hitters Kennedy Spaid and Brenna Corbin were named to the Class 4 All-State First Team and the Region 4D First Team. They were also named to the All-Northwestern District First Team with teammates Claire Keefer (senior middle hitter) and Kyla Wilhelm (junior outside hitter).
Following her team’s impressive 2025, Patrick reflected on the Colonels’ success.
Q. What qualities made this team special?
Patrick: We had plenty of returning athletes on our roster; Kennedy Spaid, Reese Justice, Kylee Plumb, Kyla Wilhelm, Bella Middleton, Brenna Corbin and Claire Keefer were all returners from last year’s team. I think that anytime you’re able to keep a solid core group of kids together, that can add to and help your success. And then, I’ve been known to always pull up a freshman. This year, we had two freshmen on the team that were impactful. They were able to benefit the team in two different ways: Macie Hewitt in the back row and then Kennedi Bower in the front row.
We also talked plenty of times about when you’re at the top, how there’s going to be a target on you. Everybody wants to be the ‘king of the hill’ so to speak, whatever you want to call it, right? So knowing we had been there before, and we currently had the title, we knew that would be something that we would have to fight for, to keep.
Some differences [from other seasons] is that we definitely ran into more injuries than we ever have before. So much so that we had to start changing when our practice time was to allow all my kids to be able to meet and see and be serviced by the trainer. So that was a little bit different, because you’re then constantly having to pivot and put people into different positions and make it work, which we were able to do.
Q. What individuals impressed you or surprised you the most?
Patrick: Kyla Wilhelm came out of the offseason really swinging hard and really ready to make an impression on the front row. She was on First Team All-District and Second Team All-Region, she was either third or fourth on our team in a lot of stats. I just feel like that is her stepping it up. Most of the time, she’s playing on the right side, but in a couple instances, I did put her in the middle.
Claire Keefer, she also went back and forth, right side and middle. She was on First Team All-District as well, and then she was on Second Team All-Region. That was the first time that she was receiving those accolades and that acknowledgement. So that’s a really big deal.
Bella Middleton almost tripled all of her stats from last year because she was just on the court so much more as a sophomore. So that’s really good when you think about where that’s going to take the program moving forward.
Q. What do you consider the most memorable moments of the season?
Patrick: When we hosted our very first-ever tournament [the Champions Classic] that I worked to create. So hopefully that would continue, because the amount of interest that we got out … all of it was positive. We went on to win straight through the tournament [going 5-0].
Two weeks later, we went to Virginia Beach, and our first match of the day … we were going to play Flint Hill. The last time we went to that tournament, two years ago, we played Flint Hill. It was disastrous, it was a struggle for us. And then, beating them 2-0 and then going on the rest of the day, beating other schools like Bishop McNamara and Kellum … was huge for us. I mentioned those teams because they are two huge powerhouse schools.
And then, to go on and have a pretty successful rest of the season, we ended up 30-2. That was the most-ever wins in a season for our program, because we hadn’t actually had a program play that many matches in a season. And then, there’s a lot of memories; all of the bus rides and the silly celebrations that we have, the little sayings we have. There’s a bunch of different things that all go into the team bonding aspect and the buy-in and why I feel like we’ve been able to do this for four years in a row. We make it an environment where kids want to be and where the athletes want to give everything that they have.
Yasmin Dias Tonon, North Broward Prep. Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Yasmin Dias Tonon, OH, North Broward Prep senior: Recorded 320 kills, 194 digs, 60 aces, 40 blocks and .389 hitting percentage; registered 21 kills in a match; had 18 kills in state championship match; helped lift Eagles to district, regional and state title; Bentley University signee.
Kaylee Foreman, Pine Crest, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Kaylee Foreman, libero, Pine Crest junior: Team captain; recorded 625 service receptions, 393 digs, 115 assists and 43 aces; Palm League All-Tournament Team; NHSCA Academic All-American First Team; Under Armour Next Camp Series Invitee; AVCA Phenom selection; Team Florida 15U member; Yale University commit.
Mia Gold, Pine Crest, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Wednesday November 19, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Mia Gold, OH, Pine Crest senior: Led the Panthers to a district and regional title; team captain; recorded 440 kills, 249 digs, 45 aces; recorded 28 kills and 13 digs in state semifinal; school record holder for kills; England National Team selection; Boston College signee.
Melia Howze, Chaminade-Madonna, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Melia Howze, MB, Chaminade-Madonna freshman: Led Lions to district championship and 2A regional quarterfinal appearance; recorded 308 kills, 80 blocks and .443 hitting percentage; recorded 25 kills to lift team to district title win.
Samantha McMillan, Coral Springs Charter, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Samantha McMillan, OH, Coral Springs Charter senior: Led Panthers to 3A regional quarterfinal appearance; recorded 251 kills, 282 receptions and .335 hitting percentage in just 60 sets played; registered 28 kills in a match; American University signee.
Destiny Wiggins, North Broward Prep, volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Destiny Wiggins, libero, North Broward Prep senior: Recorded 436 digs, 438 service receptions, 91 assists and 36 aces; registered 31 digs in a match; had 22 digs in state championship match; helped lift Eagles to district, regional and state title.
SECOND TEAM
Isabella Collado, setter, Pine Crest eighth-grader
Gabriella Florian, OH, Pine Crest junior
Camryn Kanell, MB, Calvary Christian Academy senior
Emma Luehrs, setter, North Broward Prep eighth-grader
Jayda Palumbo, OH, North Broward Prep junior
Adriana Powers-Hadley, OH, Sagemont junior
HONORABLE MENTION
American Heritage: Lyla Pack
Calvary Christian: Sophia Azevedo, Reese Mittauer, Jada Stephenson
Cardinal Gibbons: Jordan Andrews, Ava Flores, Beatriz Matos
Brian Coughenour, North Broward Prep, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Brian Coughenour, North Broward Prep: The Eagles finished 26-2, earned a district championship and regional title and won the 4A state championship. “I am very proud of this team. They came into the season ready to work hard and with one goal in mind in bringing North Broward Prep their first volleyball state championship. They earned that championship along with a number of individual awards. I held them to a very high standard and they not only met it but exceeded my expectations. I am very excited for the future of this program and blessed to be part of it.”
Fabiana Castro, Archbishop McCarthy, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Wednesday November 19, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Fabiana Castro, setter, Archbishop McCarthy senior: Led Mavericks to district and regional title; team captain; registered 490 assists, 187 digs and 64 aces; recorded 39 assists in state semifinal win; will play volleyball and beach volleyball for Miami-Dade College.
Sydney Guerrier, St. Thomas Aquinas, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Sydney Guerrier, setter/OPP, St. Thomas Aquinas senior: Team co-captain; registered 383 assists, 146 kills, 144 digs and 31 blocks; BCAA All-Star Team MVP; FACA All-Star; AVCA All-Region, All-American Second Team, Best and Brightest Third Team and Honorable Mention selection during career; American University signee.
Sophia Guzman, Cypress Bay, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Sophia Guzman, OH/OPP, Cypress Bay senior: Led the Lightning to district title and Class 7A regional final; recorded 274 kills, 4.0 kills/set and 250 receptions; registered 20 kills in regional semifinal win; selected team captain and team MVP; Southern Connecticut State University signee.
Paige Hill, Western, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Paige Hill, OH, Western senior: Recorded 235 kills, 360 digs, 69 aces and 36 blocks; registered 20 kills in a match; two-year team captain and four-year starter; will play volleyball for Emmanuel University.
Emmi Merhi, St. Thomas Aquinas, Volleyball. Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Emmi Merhi, OH, St. Thomas Aquinas senior: Helped lift Raiders to district and regional championship; recorded 248 kills, 250 digs, 437 receptions and 36 aces; registered 14 kills in regional semifinal win; Troy University signee.
SECOND TEAM
Isabella Cabrera, OH, St. Thomas Aquinas sophomore
Lisa Zielinski, St. Thomas Aquinas. Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Lisa Zielinski, St. Thomas Aquinas: The Raiders had a 27-5 record, won a district title, regional championship and finished as the Class 6A state runner-up. “Reaching the championship is never easy, and this team earned every bit of it. After losing six starters last year, I don’t think anyone thought we’d be back. We didn’t walk away with the trophy, but we proved we’re a team that battles. We competed with heart, toughness and the kind of fire that’s hard to teach.”
Robert Perez, Archbishop McCarthy, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Wednesday November 19, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Robert Perez, Archbishop McCarthy: The Mavericks had a 28-4 record and captured the district and regional title. They finished as the Class 5A state runner-up. “We had a goal and we all locked into it. It was one team and one dream. We knew this was the team that can finally take that step. The program was due for a final four for the first time in school history. From day one, the entire roster knew this team was special. Practices were special and we competed versus each other like there was another team on the other side of the net. This roster made each other better because how deep and talented we are. The ladies in teal are for real.”
