MIDDLEBURG - After a bruising 3-0 win over Class 5A rival Ponte Vedra on Tuesday, Oct. 7, Middleburg High senior outside hitter Camden Rahn cited a 3-0 loss on Sept. 23 to defending Class 5A champion Tallahassee Chiles as her turning point of the season. The loss was the third of the season to Chiles. 

"I know we lost that Chiles game, but mentally I locked in, had 21 kills that night and we moved as a team to get better and play as a team," said Rahn, who put yet another net spike clinic in the win against Ponte Vedra. "We've seen the younger players on the team also lock in and play better ball." 

For the Lady Broncos, who won with game scores of 25-23, 25-21 and a third game of 25-11, the win was a reversal of a 3-1 regular season loss to Ponte Vedra that made Middleburg coaches Meredith Forkum and Kory Cobb rethink the first-half season roster. 

"We 'finagled' the roster a little as the season progressed," Cobb said. "We are not done." 

In early September, with her senior strong lineup getting rock in two games—a 3-0 loss to Chiles on Sept. 8, then the 3-1 loss to Ponte Vedra on Sept. 9—Forkum kept stirring the pot to come up with the secret sauce of success. 

"We will always have a tough schedule and it is paying off now," said Forkum, with 4A powerhouse Bishop Kenny (14-9, 4A Final Four finisher) the final regular season game on Thursday, Oct. 9. "I think we are ready for the districts in a week."

The tough schedule that the 12-10 Broncos cited has a 24.9 strength of schedule rating according to MaxPreps.com with Ponte Vedra at 24.3 as the two highest ratings in the top 20 teams in Class 5A. 

In the Class 5A rankings statewide, 10 of the top 20 teams are from Middleburg, Fleming Island and Ridgeview's region 1-5A lineup making the upcoming playoffs a showcase of some of the best teams in Class 5A.
Districts start the week of Oct. 13 with Middleburg hosting the district 3-5A tournament.