By james art 
The Chiles Timberwolves and Florida High Seminoles volleyball teams won their regional championship matches and are headed to the FHSAA State Championships, which will be held Monday through Saturday, Nov. 4-9, at Polk State College – Winter Haven Health Center.
Timberwolves win back-to-back regional finals
The number one ranked 5A Chiles Timberwolves (22-1) faced the Beachside (Jacksonville) Barracuddas in the FHSAA 5A regional finals Wednesday night at the Chiles gym. The Barracuddas (19-3) entered the contest as the number two seed. The Timberwolves cruised to a hard-fought 4-set win, winning 3-1, with set scores of 29-27, 25-15, 25-27 and 25-17.
The Timberwolves attack was led by a trio of attackers that included Kate Stewart (22 kills), Eva Goodson (14 kills) and Lindsey Smith (10 kills). Middle Logan Abernathy added six kills. Setter Natalie Gibson had 38 assists on 99 attempts.
The Timberwolves defense was anchored up front by Georgia Williams (6 blocks), Abernathy (4 blocks) and Stewart (4 blocks). The back line saw notable performances from Holly Sanders (13 tackles) and Maddie Joyner (11 tackles). From the service line, Smith delivered three aces, while Aubrey Justin served three winners.
The win sends the Timberwolves to their second straight state championship. Last year the team fell short with a semi-final loss to Viera (Melbourne).
Florida Tall Seminoles pick up road win
The 12th-ranked 3A Seminoles (18-8) faced the North Bay Haven Academy (Panama City) Buccaneers in the FHSAA 3A regional finals on Tuesday night. The Buccaneers entered the contest with a record of 22-3. The Seminoles came away with a 4-set victory on the road, winning 3-1 with set scores of 26-24, 25-14, 13-25 and 26-24.
The Seminole attack was led by Hunter Cook with 17 kills. Leah Crosby added seven kills and Addison Meyernick contributed six kills. Majernick also had five service aces.
At the net, Riley Craft had six blocks, while Olivia Woods contributed four blocks.
The Seminoles defense was led by Gaby Kellog, who had 24 tackles. Cook and Woods each added 10 digs.