High school volleyball playoffs: Bishop Kenny, Christ’s Church roll into 3rd round

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Bishop Kenny rolled on in the state volleyball playoffs, knocking off visiting Yulee 3-1 in the regional semifinals Tuesday night on the first of two evenings of playoff action in the area this week.

The Crusaders' 22-25, 25-7, 25-19, 25-18 win pushes them on to Saturday’s regional final at home against Santa Fe at 2 p.m. Kenny (18-8) is 0-2 against Santa Fe this season, losing 3-0 in early September and 2-1 later that month. Yulee finished its season 16-6.

Bailey Chin had 18 kills, 14 digs and a team-best three aces for the Crusaders. Allison Cavanaugh added 12 kills. Tina Nika (25 digs) and Alexis Chin (46 assists) also had solid matches for Kenny, which rolled into the third round for the 16th consecutive season.

The Crusaders are 23-2 in second round matches. They reached the state playoffs seven out of 10 times during the 2010s.

Kenny, along with fellow Tuesday night area winners Christ’s Church and Union County, should have some more company on Saturday afternoon.

Mandarin visits Bartram Trail (Region 1-7A), Tallahassee Leon travels to Creekside (Region 1-6A) and Ridgeview goes to nationally ranked Ponte Vedra (Region 1-5A) in Wednesday night playoff matchups.

Region 1-2A

Christ’s Church beat St. Johns Country Day for the second time in as many tries, sweeping the Spartans out of the state playoffs. The Eagles' 25-12, 25-13, 25-18 victory sends them on to a Saturday regional final at Tallahassee St. John Paul II at 2 p.m. After a 15-0 start, St. Johns dropped two of its last three matches, both to the Eagles (13-6). St. John Paul II swept Harvest Community in a 25-19, 25-14, 25-19 game.

Region 3-1A

Union County moved on to the regional final with a 3-1 win over Lafayette. The Tigers' 25-19, 25-12, 24-26, 25-16 win sends them on to Saturday’s regional final at Bell. … Visiting Hilliard’s season ended with a 25-22, 25-11, 25-11 loss to Bell in the regional semifinals. Hilliard finished 11-7.

Region 4-1A

Trenton swept host Crescent City 3-0 to advance to Saturday’s regional final. The Raiders' season ends at 13-10.


About the Author:

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.