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Durant Reaches 6A Final

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By NICK WILLIAMS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 17, 2007

LAKELAND - Earlier in the week, Durant senior hitter Stephanie Eukovich talked with players from other Hillsborough County teams in the state volleyball tournament about playing on the big stage.

Nothing they said could prepare her for the real thing.

On Friday night at The Lakeland Center, however, Eukovich and her teammates didn't let the excitement of playing in the program's first state volleyball tournament match since 2002 overwhelm them. The Cougars advanced to the Class 6A championship with a 25-22, 25-22, 23-25, 25-22 win over Jupiter.

Durant (21-6) will play Gainesville Buchholz tonight at 7 for the state title. Buchholz, ranked No. 2 in the state, defeated Miami Killian 25-17, 25-11, 25-22 to advance. Buchholz beat the Cougars in the Berkeley Premier tournament this season, 3-0.

Leading 2-1 Friday, Durant led 24-22 in the fourth game when junior middle hitter Kelsey Horton spiked an overpass by Jupiter for the match win.

Horton led Durant with 11 kills, 19 digs and six blocks. Eukovich had a team-high 14 kills and 20 digs, while junior Chelsea Morris added 13 kills and 12 digs. Senior setter Alexa Donini had a match-high 37 assists.

Durant coach Dawn Hough knew her team needed to focus on Clemson-bound Brook Kohler, Jupiter's 6-foot-2 hitter. Kohler led the Warriors with 19 kills and was the only effective weapon they had against Durant. Whenever she rotated to the back row, Durant capitalized on her absence at the net.

"That was a huge advantage," Hough said.

Donini said she focused on setting the ball away from Kohler: "I knew they had a huge outside hitter, so I had to stay away from her. Lately we've been spreading it around a lot and we've been winning, so it works."

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