Volleyball shocker: Nationally ranked Ponte Vedra stunned in championship match

The quest for area volleyball history ran into a roadblock on Wednesday night.

Mater Academy stunned Ponte Vedra, sweeping the Sharks in the Class 6A state championship match at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers. The loss ended a stellar two-and-a-half year run by Ponte Vedra that saw it win back-to-back titles, climb to a No. 1 national ranking by MaxPreps and roar into a third straight championship match.

Instead, Mater Academy (26-7) was the team celebrating back-to-back championships. It turned back the Sharks 25-22, 26-24, 25-20 to win its second consecutive crown.

Rachel Johnson had 12 kills for Ponte Vedra. Zeta Washington followed with eight kills and Kendall Mignerey added six. Ava Witt had a team-best 14 digs and Jessica Shattles dished out 25 assists.

The loss ended a quest for a threepeat, something no area team had done before. It also put an end to a 14-match playoff winning streak, a span that saw the Sharks win 13 postseason matches by sweep. They hadn’t lost a regulation five-set match since the regional semifinals in 2018 to Santa Fe.