Fueled by quest for redemption, Southwest boys' volleyball headed back to state
From the painful moment, it came up short, it's all the Southwest's boys' volleyball team has thought about.
The Eagles saw a seemingly-certain state championship slip through their grasp a year ago in the state final, losing in five sets to Winter Park.
'We've had one thing on our minds from the second we lost,' Southwest co-coach Joshua Perez said. 'We got back. We got in the weight room and we've had that one thing on our minds the entire time.'
Southwest wasn't about to let any adversity get in the way of its shot at redemption.
The Eagles moved a step closer to it on Tuesday night as they dominated rival Columbus for a 25-19, 25-12, 26-24 victory in the Region 4-3A final at the Explorers' gym.
But the path to return to state wasn't a typical one.
Southwest experienced a bit of role reversal throughout the 2025 season.
While the Eagles, four-time state champions and state runners-up last season, are still one of the state's best teams, losing twice to Columbus during the regular season had them on the road for the third and decisive encounter instead of hosting as they often do in such important games.
And then on Tuesday, another role reversal.
Columbus' most prolific hitter, junior Lucas Riva, went down with an ankle injury in the opening moments of the match.
Suddenly, the Eagles went from underdogs back to favorites against a shorthanded Columbus squad.
But Southwest wasn't about to let its guard down.
Led by senior Juanmarco Diaz, who had over 15 kills, the Eagles took control and never let up to secure a spot in next week's state semifinal at Polk State College in Winter Haven where they will face Loxahatchee Seminole Ridge on Friday at 7. The winner will face either Winter Park or Winter Garden Horizon on Saturday in the final at 7.
'First of all, I hope Lucas gets better soon,' Diaz said. 'We went and prayed for him. It would have been even better with him on the court. But when he went down, we knew we had to take over. We've been studying this team all week and learning how to overcome it after they beat us twice this season.'
Diaz and the frontline of Kevin Munoz and Dereck Ocasio kept pressure throughout the match on Columbus' attack and helped the Eagles put together sustained runs to secure the first two sets.
The Explorers trailed 22-19 in the third before battling back to tie the set at 23 and again at 24.
'Those guys are so well-coached and they fought,' Perez said. 'They have a great program, and have been up and coming. It was 'next man up' on that side and they never made it easy from the first whistle until now.'
Southwest responded with two strong defensive plays and a final kill to secure the match.
'(Riva) going down changed everything,' Diaz said. 'We had control in the second set, but we knew they'd come back in the third and fight for him. We didn't let that happen.
'At Southwest, it's always about making it to state and enjoying it. It's my last year and I'm not gonna back down.'
MORE RESULTS
Region 4-2A final - Reagan d. Varela 23-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-20: The Bison (24-4) rallied after losing the first set to clinch their first ever trip to the state final four. Reagan will be the top seed at state in Class 2A and take Gulf Breeze in a semifinal on Friday at 1 at Polk State College in Winter Haven. The winner will face the winner of Riviera Beach Suncoast and Winter Park Lake Howell in the final on Saturday at 4.
Region 3-2A final - Riviera Beach Suncoast d. St. Thomas Aquinas 25-13, 25-22, 25-23
Region 3-1A final - JC Bermudez d. Divine Savior 25-14, 23-25, 25-15, 21-25, 15-13: The Thunder (14-3) secured their first trip to the state tournament in any team sport with the grueling five set win at Doral Legacy Park. JC Bermudez will be the No. 4 seed and take on top-seeded West Palm Beach Kings Academy in a state semifinal on Thursday at 7 at Polk State College in Winter Haven.
Kings Academy eliminated Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons in five sets (22-25, 25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 15-12) in the Region 2-1A final on Tuesday.
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