Andre Aguilar knows what the boys volleyball state tournament looks like. Now he gets to see what it feels like.
The Freedom High School junior was a ninth-grade junior varsity player who traveled with the team to Boca Raton to watch when the Patriots won their 2019 state championship — a first for the south Orlando school in any sport.
Now Aguilar is a 6-foot-4 standout for a Freedom team that is 27-2 and vying for what would be a repeat Florida High School Athletic Association title. Because the 2020 state playoffs were canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Patriots are the reigning champions as the eight-team tournament unfolds Friday and Saturday at another South Florida school — Archbishop McCarthy of Southwest Ranches.
“It means so much to be able to have the chance to go again, especially since our season was canceled last year,” Aguilar said before practice on Tuesday.
Freedom plays Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons (19-6) on Friday at 1:30 p.m. in the opening quarterfinal match. Saturday’s semifinals are set for 10 a.m. and noon, leading up to a 4 p.m. championship match.
A Friday win would mark the 550th career win for veteran volleyball coach Gina McFerren, who directed the Oak Ridge girls program for 17 years (1986-2002) before bowing out of coaching for more than a decade. Her record in eight seasons at Freedom is 181-36.
The title team of two years ago was senior-heavy, as was the 2020 Freedom team, which graduated nine seniors who were robbed of their chance to chase a championship when playoffs were scratched. This year the Patriots returned only two starters: Aguilar and fellow junior Matt McIntyre.
Both serve as setters and opposite hitters and both have more than 200 kills. Aguilar leads the team in assists with 411 and McIntyre has 369.
They are surrounded by less experienced but talented players.
Austin Davis, a senior, has 177 kills and junior Andres Gomez 165. Pablo Peralta, a junior, leads the Patriots with 225 digs, followed by Davis (200).
“These kids have worked hard and come together as a team at the right time,” McFerren said.
Aguilar was recognized as the South Region Player of the Week by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and MaxPreps for his performances in regional playoff wins against the two teams that were ranked highest in Florida, Winter Park and Tampa Bay HEAT. He had 35 kills, 20 digs and 5 blocks in those tight matches.
Freedom traveled to play second-ranked HEAT, a squad of home-schoolers, and pulled out a tense 22-25, 25-23, 19-25, 25-22, 15-13 victory that went down to the wire. That set up a showdown at home with No. 1 and undefeated Winter Park, which swept the Patriots twice in regular-season play.
Freedom lost the first set but turned the tables with a 19-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-22 victory vs. the Wildcats (26-1).
“We prepared for their jump serving, which is very good,” McFerren said of the Winter Park win. “We were determined to get better at handling that and that made a big difference.”
Aguilar said the team can’t relax after those two hard-fought victories.
“We just need to have the same mentality that’s it’s not going to be easy,” he said. “We’re going to be ready to fight for every game.”
MaxPreps power ratings now have Miami Southwest (24-4) and Miami Senior (26-2) ranked slightly above Freedom, although there is very little separating the top-rated contenders, which include undefeated Ocala Forest (16-0).
“Our kids played their hearts out last week to beat the No. 2 and No. 1 teams in the state,” McFerren said. “We played the underdog card and they performed very well. We’re trying to use that again right now.”
Friday quarterfinals
At Archbishop McCarty High School, Southwest Ranches
Freedom (27-2) vs. Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons (19-6), 1:30.
Royal Palm Beach (13-0) vs. Lake Worth Park Vista (21-7), 3:30.
Miami Senior (26-2) vs. South Broward (18-5), 5:30.
Ocala Forest (16-0) vs. Miami Southwest (24-4), 7:30.
Saturday
Semifinals
Freedom/CG winner vs. RPB/PV winner, 10 a.m.
MS/SB winner vs. OF/Southwest winner, noon.
Championship match, 4 p.m.
This story was first published at OrlandoSentinel.com. Varsity Content Editor Buddy Collings can be reached by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.
