Though the Carrollwood Day School (CDS) Volleyball Team lost the first set during their Class 3A title match on Nov. 9, the Patriots (31-2) stormed back.
Thanks to three straight winning sets — 25-23, 25-19, 29-27 — CDS secured its second volleyball state championship, defeating Miami Westminster Christian 3-1 at the Winter Haven Health Center at Polk State College.
The Patriots won its first title since 2017. They were led by freshman Lydia Chinchar, who is the coach’s daughter and who had a match-high 37 kills. She finished the season with a team-high 573 kills.
CDS, ranked No. 3 overall in the state and 21st nationally by MaxPreps, had a long road to the championship, beating defending state champion Clearwater Central Catholic, defending region finalist Sarasota Cardinal Mooney and topping Berkeley Prep — one of the team’s regular season losses. In the state semifinal, the Patriots beat highly ranked Orlando Lake Highland Prep.
Coach Doug Chinchar, prior to becoming head coach this offseason, spent 11 seasons as head coach at Bishop McLaughlin, where he led the Hurricanes to state semifinal appearances in three straight seasons (2018-2020), including a state final appearance in 2018.
