JACKSONVILLE - With the likes of 5A champion Ponte Vedra, former champions and host Bishop Kenny; Tallahassee powers Lincoln and Chiles, the Bishop Kenny Preseason Volleyball classic turned into a slugfest of action Saturday night.
Top matchup was a five-game bruiser between Clay and Ridgeview high schools that put a quick glimpse of where district action might end up this season.
Area teams kicked off the 2018 season on Tues., Aug. 21 with Middleburg at Fleming Island; Oakleaf at Baker County; Ridgeview at St. Augustine; St. Johns Country Day School at Orange Park with Keystone Heights at Bradford County on Aug. 23.
For Ridgeview coach Destiny Brightman, without a key player from last year’s district championship team not expected to return, it was net combination of senior hitter Saige Rivers and junior Devine Nickson taking care of the net for the Lady Panthers. Junior libero Sarah Anderson manned the back line to set up net scoring strikes from Rivers as well as Aubrey Brown and Kaeley Kellar.
For Clay, it was sisters Reilly and Kelsie Savage, plus senior Katie James that orchestrated the Blue Devil attack with Mackenzie Wright showing prowess as a primary hitter.
Orange Park, who played Keystone Heights in the morning session of the tournament, took on the three main players for the Lady Indians; junior Emily Loose, senior Jessi Yeldell, junior Emerald Hall and junior Madison Heskett.
For the Lady Raiders, Avery Kinlaw leads the charge as middle hitter and blocker with Lauren Ellis an outside
hitter. Middleburg High transfer Macie Faucett adds to the backline for coach Karen Ruelas as libero.
In game one, Orange Park took a close 26-24 match against the Lady Indians with Kinlaw serving back from an 18-17 Indians lead to tie the game at 20-20. Kinlaw got a kill shot to score Orange Park up 23-22 before Julie Deaton finished off the Indians with two hard serves; one an ace.
Orange Park dominated game two 25-17 with Kinlaw getting three kill points and Sydney Breu adding two more in a 10-2 opening flurry.
Orange Park won game three 25-12.
Against Bishop Kenny, Clay, somewhat undersized, demonstrated good team play to off set the Crusader size, but fell 25-20 after battling bcktoa a 22-20 score late the contest.
With middle blocker Khalia Thompson, a 5’-11” jumper much like graduate star Taja Valmyr, a standout at Flagler College, Clay stayed within points of Bishop Kenny in game two as well 25-19, 25-18.
In the Clay vs. Ridgeview first match, Clay pulled out a 25-21 win behind Kelsie Savage’s strong left-handed strike shots that threw the Panther defense off balance. Strong services from Annika Ennis put some distance between Clay and Ridgeview from a 17-15 Clay lead to a 21-17 lead. Right side hitter Mackenzie Wright was effective in getting cross court scores for the Blue Devils to push the game to 23-19 before aces from Harley Yost ended the game.
In the second game, won 26-24 by Ridgeview, it was Rivers taking over the net late in the game to turn a 20-15 Clay lead to a 22-20 Ridgeview lead en route to the win. With Clay keeping eyes on Rivers, the bespectacled Nickson started making points off the net.
For Middleburg, in their first match, a 25-10 blowout from Tallahassee Chiles, uncharacteristic mistakes from the lineup proved costly for the senior strong lineup.
Chiles executed runs of 4,5 and 6 points off Bronco mistakes to take the win.
In the second game, after a lofty chat with coach Carrie Prewitt, the Lady Broncos opened with three straight blocks at the net that seemed like a turnaround in execution, but officials took the points off the board and put Chiles up 1-0 determined by a lineup mistake.
Middleburg, with senior Mallory Roney, Jillian Bemis and junior Brittany Range manning the net were unable to stop the powerful Chiles net lineup in game two, a 25-20 loss. Sophomore back defender Jenna Sypniewski, sister to icon Julie Sypniewski was energetic in her defense for Middleburg.

Volleyball Schedule
Middleburg
Aug. 23 Ed White at MHS 6:30pm
Aug. 28 MHS at Spruce Creek 6pm
Aug. 30 Englewood at MHS 6:30pm
Sept. 4 MHS at Ponte Vedra 6:30 pm
Sept. 6 P.K. Yonge at MHS 6:30pm
Sept. 11 Clay at MHS 6:30pm
Sept. 13 MHS at Bartram Trail 5pm
Sept. 18 Nease at MHS 6:30pm
Sept. 20 MHS at Oakleaf 6:30pm
Sept. 21 Episcopal at MHS 3pm
Sept. 25 MHS at St. Augustine 6:30pm
Sept. 28-29 at Bolles Tournament

Oakleaf
Aug. 30 Buchholz at OHS 6:30pm
Aug. 31 OHS at Keystone Heights
Sept. 4 SJCDS at OHS 6:30pm
Sept. 6 Fleming Island at OHS
Sept. 11 Bartram Trail at OHS 6:30pm
Sept. 13 OHS at Creekside 6:30pm
Sept. 17 St.Augustine at OHS 6:30pm
Sept. 18 OHS at Ridgeview 6:30pm
Sept. 20 Middleburg at OHS 6:30pm
Sept. 25 OHS at Buchholz 6:30pm
Sept. 27 OHS at Fleming Island
Sept. 29 Mandarin at OHS 10am

Fleming Island
(6:30 varsity unless noted)
Aug. 21 Middleburg at FIHS
Aug. 23 FIHS at Clay
Aug. 28 FIHS at Buchholz
Aug. 30 Creekside at FIHS
Sept. 4 FIHS at Bartram Trail
Sept. 6 FIHS at OHS
Sept. 11 Keystone Heights at FIHS
Sept. 14 - 15 JJVA Tournament
Sept. 18 Bartram Trail at FIHS
Sept. 20 Buchholz at FIHS
Sept. 25 FIHS at Creekside
Sept. 27 Oakleaf at FIHS

Keystone Heights
(6 p.m. varsity unless noted)
Aug. 23 Bradford at KHHS
Aug. 27 KHHS at Columbia (6:30pm)
Aug. 28 Union County at KHHS (6:30pm)
Aug. 30 Fort White at KHHS
Aug. 31 Oakleaf at KHHS
Sept. 6 KHHS at Interlachen
Sept. 10 Newberry at KHHS
Sept. 11 KHHS at Fleming Island 6:30pm
Sept. 13 KHHS at Bradford
Sept. 17 Columbia at KHHS (6:30pm)
Sept. 18 KHHS at Fort White
Sept. 20 KHHS at Taylor
Sept. 25 Taylor at KHHS

Ridgeview
6:30 p.m. varsity unless noted)
Aug. 23 RHS at Fletcher
Aug. 28 Westside at RHS
Aug. 30 BartramTrail at RHs
Sept. 4 Oakleaf at RHS
Sept. 6 Orange Park at RHS
Sept. 11 Wolfson at RHS
Sept. 17 Yulee at RHS
Sept. 18 Clay at RHS
Sept. 20 RHS at Creekside
Sept. 25 RHS at Nease
Sept. 27 RHS at Baker County (5:30pm)

Clay
(6:30 p.m. varsity unless noted)
Aug. 23 Fleming Island at CHS
Aug. 27 Fletcher at CHS
Sept. 4 CHS at Baker County (5:30pm)
Sept. 6 Matanzas at CHS
Sept. 10 CHS at Menendez
Sept. 11 CHS at Middleburg
Sept. 18 CHS at Ridgeview
Sept. 20 CHS at Matanzas
Sept. 24 Bolles at CHS
Sept. 25 Mendendez at CHS
Sept. 27 Ponte Vedra at CHS

Orange Park
(6:30 p.m. varsity unless noted)
Aug. 28 Wolfson at OPHS
Aug. 30 Westside at OPHS
Sept. 4 Yulee at OPHS (7 p.m.)
Sept. 5 OPHS at Mandarin
Sept. 6 OPHS at Ridgeview
Sept. 13 Baker Co. at OPHS (5:30 p.m.)
Sept. 17 OPHS at Palatka
Sept. 18 Stanton at OPHS

St. Johns Country Day School
(6:30 p. m. varsity unless noted)
Aug. 23 Warner Christian at SJCDS
Aug. 27 SJCDS at University Christian (6 p.m.)
Aug. 31 Lake Mary Prep at SJCDS (4:30 p.m.)
Sept. 4 Oakleaf at SJCDS
Sept. 6 Eagles View at SJCDS
Sept. 13 SJCDS at Bishop Snyder
Sept. 18 St. Joseph at SJCDS
Sept. 20 Oakleaf at SJCDS
Sept. 21 First Coast Christian at SJCDS (6 p.m.)
Sept. 24 SJCDS at Christs Church
Sept. 25 SJCDS at Trinity Christian Deltona (6 p.m.)
Sept. 27 Westside at SJCDS (6 p.m.)