Sigonella's Marika Wojtal hits the ball across the net against Florence's Ginivera Lapi in the Division III final at the DODDS-Europe volleyball championships in Ramstein, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014. Florence beat Sigonella 25-16, 25-21, 25-21 to take the title. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Sigonella's Marika Wojtal hits the ball across the net against Florence's Ginivera Lapi in the Division III final at the DODDS-Europe volleyball championships in Ramstein, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014. Florence beat Sigonella 25-16, 25-21, 25-21 to take the title. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Florence's Emma Nataloni bumps the ball as Sigonella's Marika Wojtal follows the action in the Division III final at the DODDS-Europe volleyball championships in Ramstein, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014. Florence beat Sigonella 25-16, 25-21, 25-21 to take the title. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Florence's Malaika Handa defends against Sigonella's Kaitlyn Bean in the Division III final at the DODDS-Europe volleyball championships in Ramstein, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014. Florence beat Sigonella 25-16, 25-21, 25-21 to take the title. Handa was named the division's MVP for the tourney. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Sigonella coach Shawn McCarthy makes a point to his players during a timeout in the Division III final at the DODDS-Europe volleyball championships in Ramstein, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014. Florence beat Sigonella 25-16, 25-21, 25-21 to take the title. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Sigonella's Kisiah Chandler concentrates as she sets the ball for a teammate in the Division III final against Florence at the DODDS-Europe volleyball championships in Ramstein, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014. Florence beat Sigonella 25-16, 25-21, 25-21 to take the title. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Florence coach Roberto Clausi talks to his players during a timeout in the Division III final at the DODDS-Europe volleyball championships in Ramstein, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014. Florence beat Sigonella 25-16, 25-21, 25-21 to take the title. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Florence's Ginevera Lapi returns the ball in the Division III final at the DODDS-Europe volleyball championships in Ramstein, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014. Florence beat Sigonella 25-16, 25-21, 25-21 to take the title. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The International School of Florence Wild Boars celebrate their Division III title after defeating Sigonella 25-16, 25-21, 25-21 at the DODDS-Europe volleyball championships in Ramstein, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – This time, Florence didn’t give up a set.
The Wild Boars breezed through Saturday’s Division III championship match in three straight sets, 25-16, 25-21, 25-21, to beat Sigonella and earn their first DODDS-Europe girls’ volleyball title.
“It’s good, it’s good. It’s what we worked for,” said Florence coach Roberto Clausi, who jumped up and down with his jubilant team after the victory.
Throughout the impressive Florence lineup, there was no shortage of joy.
“It feels amazing,” said senior hitter Malaika Handa. “I can’t even describe it. I’m so happy.”
“It was incredible. I had so much fun the whole tournament,” said junior blocker and setter Natalia Consumi June. “Sigonella was our toughest match. Today and yesterday.”
In each of the teams’ last three meetings - including tourney play on Friday - Sigonella was able to win a set,
But Sigonella, the eighth and last seed in Division III, didn’t go down without putting up a valiant fight, especially in the third and final set.
The Jaguars played catch up in the first two sets after Florence built big leads. In the first set, the Wild Boars went on an 8-0 run to go up 24-13 before eventually clinching the win. The second set looked like it was headed for a similar outcome when Florence quickly jumped out to 20-8 lead. But Sigonella clawed its way back into the game, getting to within 23-21, with senior Sydney Moore chipping in a few kills and some strong serving by sophomore Kisiah Chandler.
But again, Florence put it away.
In the third set, Sigonella stayed within striking distance. After falling behind 19-14, the Jaguars went on a 6-0 run, pulling ahead by one. That’s when Florence’s best weapon sprung into action. Handa spiked the ball for a kill, putting her team ahead 21-20. Her final ace on serve iced the victory for the Wild Boars.
Handa was a big reason for Florence’s dominance Saturday.
No matter where she was on the court – back, front, center, side - the powerful 5-foot-11½ Handa found holes in the Sigonella court, landing kills that constantly kept the Jaguars off kilter and squelched any momentum they might be building.
Sigonella coach Shawn McCarthy said Florence’s experience gave it an advantage over his young team, which returned only one starter from last year’s championship squad.
“They also had No. 7,” McCarthy said, referring to Handa. “She was hitting, attacking from the back row.”
Sigonella didn’t have the height to block Handa’s spikes, McCarthy said.
“That’s something that we couldn’t overcome,” he said. “Today that was our downfall. We simply couldn’t block.”
But, “we made a match of it, and that’s the best you can hope for.”
Moore, the teams’ only returning starter, said she was proud the Jaguars didn’t let a low seeding hold them back.
“They seeded us eighth and we proved them wrong,” she said. “More than half of our team is freshmen, so we had to work up, work up, and I think we did amazing.”
