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River Ridge Claims 5th In Tournament

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By EDDIE DANIELS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 2, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - Finally, the part of the schedule that calls for weekend tournaments for many teams. It's a chance for squads to leave the comforts of the county and face the unfamiliar, which will be helpful in preparing for the postseason.

River Ridge made the trek across Interstate 4 to Orlando for the Bishop Moore Invitational.

The Royal Knights (14-2) collected a fifth-place finish and won the tournament's silver bracket. Some may say big deal, but that's the best the team has ever performed in the tournament.

They faced three state-ranked teams in their pool, Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons (first in 4A), Jensen Beach (second in 4A) and Ponte Vedra Beach Nease (sixth in 4A).

They beat Nease (27-25, 25-22) and Cardinal Gibbons (25-22, 25-9, 15-8). They lost to eventual tournament champion Jensen Beach. That loss sent River Ridge into the silver bracket, which it won by beating Orlando Boone and Melbourne Central Catholic 25-19, 22-25, 15-9.

River Ridge will host Land O' Lakes (11-5) Thursday. The Gators opened their season with an unexpected 25-22, 18-25, 25-22, 25-15 victory against the Royal Knights in August.

The Gators played in their second tournament this weekend, this time at Hillsborough Community College. Land O' Lakes finished 3-2, beating Tampa Catholic for the silver bracket title.

In that same tournament, Mitchell finished third with a 4-1 record. The Mustangs (13-5) won their pool by sweeping Chiles, Tampa Catholic and Wesley Chapel.

They lost their only match to Lakewood, but followed that up with a 15-25, 25-15, 15-10 victory against Chiles.

Friday, Hudson will participate in the Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons Tournament.

SPEED BUMP: Land O' Lakes started the season on a 7-0 roll before going to the Academy of the Holy Names Invitational. In that tournament, the Gators won one of four matches - that lone win coming against Bradenton Manatee 25-23, 25-16.

'We were off to a really good start and I think we hit somewhat of a speed bump within this past two weeks,' Land O' Lakes coach Michelle Griffin said. 'So we're kind of in a rebuilding mode right now, trying to get back to where we were at the beginning of the season.'

Following the AHN tournament, Land O' Lakes beat a scrappy Central team in four games before entering Friday's HCC tournament.

'That was a pretty good experience for us,' Griffin said of the AHN tournament. 'In that tournament, they actually played one of the best matches they played all year. It wasn't until the end of the tournament when things kind of fell apart.'

This will be a three-match week for the Gators as they travel to Ridgewood tonight, host Gulf on Wednesday at 5 p.m. and then head to River Ridge on Thursday.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Sunlake earned the program's first victory Sept. 19 against Springstead.

NEEDED THAT: Last week was a badly needed boost for Hudson. After losing three of four machetes from Sept. 11-20, the Cobras strung together three victories last week.

It began with a 19-25, 26-24, 25-15, 25-19 win Monday against Mitchell. The following night, Hudson swept Springstead in three games and did the same to Wiregrass Ranch on Thursday.

AFTER THE GAME: Call The Tampa Tribune following your matches to ensure your score will be included in the daily roundup of prep results. That can be done by calling (813) 259-7655 or (800) 527-2718 from 7-11 p.m.

The Volleyball Notebook will run every Tuesday in the Pasco Tribune. Coaches who want to add their team's information can submit their entries to Eddie Daniels by calling (813) 948-4214 or e-mailing edaniels@tampatrib.com.

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