How sweep it is.
The Ponte Vedra volleyball team completed the most dominant run in area history on Saturday, sweeping Jensen Beach to win the Class 5A state championship in Fort Myers and capping a back-to-back quest that is unprecedented in area volleyball history.
The Sharks beat Jensen Beach 25-17, 25-21, 25-16 to finish 27-0 and win their 36th straight game in romping to back-to-back championships. No other area team has won consecutive titles. And no other area team has been as dominant as have coach Robin Mignerey’s Sharks.
Mignerey has led Ponte Vedra to three championships, the most by a team in area history. This one was a blueprint in sheer dominance.
Amy Burkhardt had 14 kills on 30 total attacks, Rachel Johnson added eight kills for the Sharks on Saturday. Jessica Shattles had 29 assists to run the offense.
To hang with the Sharks, Jensen Beach needed something to go its way. It found very little rhythm against Ponte Vedra. The Sharks were nearly flawless in the serve-receive game (one error in 44 chances) and didn’t give Jensen Beach much room with costly mistakes.
The Sharks have won their final 10 playoff matches all by 3-0 scores. Only one of their 36 consecutive wins has gone beyond the minimum, with a 3-2 win over Creekside on Oct. 8 the lone non-sweep.
Bishop Kenny’s 2014 team, the measuring stick for excellence in recent volleyball history, was 31-1, ended the season on a 23-match streak and thundered through the postseason with a collection of 3-0s.
Volleyball state championships have been one of the area’s most challenging major team sports titles to win before a recent rash of championships in the 2010s.
Sandalwood won the Class 4A crown in 1979 and Fletcher won 4A in 1981. Bolles claimed its lone championship in 1989 and Bishop Kenny won its first in 1999.
Nease got a crown in 2008 and Kenny’s second was its dominant effort in 2014. Ponte Vedra and Christ’s Church won championships in 2017, the first time that area programs had brought home titles in the same season.