Jupiter High’s girls volleyball team finished their season with a loss to Windermere High in the state semifinals. This was their only loss of the season, and it came in a tight five set match.

“Coming down to the state final four, playing Windermere high school and losing to them in five sets was pretty disappointing,” Blane Betz, head coach, said. “I think either one of those teams could’ve been state champions if the matches had been on different days. When you have three really good teams like Windemere, Jupiter and Tampa Plant it could just come down to the day you play and who happens to play just a little better.”

Betz believes the team was able to use their leadership skills on and off the court to bring the team to the final four.

“Honestly, I expected [making the state final four] to happen, because I just knew the talent and chemistry we had on the team,” Ally Bauer, senior, said. “I was really excited to be able to experience that once in my high school career.”

Bauer has been playing volleyball since sixth grade, and will continue to play in college at Loyola Maryland.

“The team stayed focused this year because they had a goal in mind and they knew there would be some tough teams out there and they had to learn to be confident in who they were but at the same time respect the other team’s abilities and skills,” Betz said.

The girls had to find a way to stay humble and confident throughout the season and not get overconfident with their abilities.

“We just went into each game knowing that, even though we’ve won a lot of our games, we still have the possibility to lose, because there’s really good teams out there,” Courtney Capar, senior, said. “We really just kept that mindset going into every game, and made sure we played like we knew we could.”

Capar says she would not have been able to get as far as she has without her coaches, and attributes lots of her success to them.

“Coach Betz is a really good coach, he knows all of us individually, and knows where to put us,” Sarah Brodner, sophomore, said. “And then we have all of the assistant coaches, who are really good with technique and skill.”

The team chemistry was critical in the girls’ success, as they helped carry each other through the season as a team.

“I think we have the best team chemistry we’ve ever had,” Capar said. “So we just bond really well on and off the court, so that probably drove us to make it as far as we did.”

Bauer and Capar both agree that this was a great senior season, and are grateful for the opportunities they have had.

“I think my favorite part of the season is always playing home matches in front of a great home crowd with a great student body who loves to come out and cheer these girls on,” Betz said. “When these girls get to play in front of their friends it’s such a privilege and there’s such a level of pride that they take playing for Jupiter High school.”