In the biggest match Horizon High School has ever played, Elena White had 27 kills. The next two Hawks had 10 each.
White, a junior outside hitter, is this week's BallerTube player spotlight, picked on the numbers. Horizon beat top-seeded DeLand 3-1 (16-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-20) in the FHSAA Class 6A final on Nov. 7 at Polk State College in Winter Haven. It is the first state title in the Orange County school's history, the Orange Observer reported this week.
Elena White's Season: 581 Kills, 6.1 Per Set
The Observer puts White's season total at 581 kills, a school single-season record, at 6.1 per set. For scale: a hitter who averages four kills a set is having a very good high school season. White was at six across a 30-match schedule.
Her single best night came early. On Aug. 27 against Windermere she had 35 kills in four sets, which the Observer covered at the time as the school's single-match record.
In the final she added eight digs to the 27 kills, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Horizon Volleyball Finished 27-3 on an 11-Match Win Streak
A hitter with that many kills needs somebody putting the ball in the right spot. Horizon's junior setter had 49 assists in the final and passed 1,000 for the season, and senior libero Kenzie Vazquez had 20 digs against DeLand.
The Hawks nearly did not get to Saturday. They dropped the first two sets of their semifinal against Venice on Nov. 6 and won the next three. After losing the opening set of the final 25-16, they did not lose another.
Horizon finished 27-3 and won its last 11 matches. DeLand ended 28-4.
White is a junior, so the record she just set is hers to chase next fall. More spotlights and results are on the BallerTube volleyball page.