PHOTOS: Winter Park takes down Apopka 3-1 in regional quarterfinal -- Observer Preps

After sealing up the regular season with a district title over Timber Creek, The Wildcats (22-6, 6-0) started off postseason play on a strong note on Wednesday night against Apopka (18-11, 4-2).

The Wildcats dominated early, as they dominated the first set 25-13 before taking the second set 25-17. 

In the third set, the Wildcats seemed to lose a bit of focus, as the Blue Darters weren't quite ready to throw in the towel and went up early in their only win on the night with a score of 25-19.

With a new sense of urgency, the Wildcats rallied right back in the fourth set with a commanding 25-17 win – sealing up the win and a spot in the regional semifinals against West Orange on Nov. 1.

"We want to continue to be aggressive with our serves and our swings, and we need to make sure we have that grit on defense," said Wildcats Head Coach Stephanie Gibson. "And I thought we had all of that tonight."

Along with her squad stepping up when they needed to, there was an added boost for the Wildcats that came in the form of the home crowd.

Getting that chance to play and win a playoff game at home is always big, Gibson said.

"It's fantastic – any time you get to play at home is awesome," Gibson said. "Our team has done fairly well on the road, so we're not afraid to travel, however when you get a chance to play in front of the student body and people that necessarily won't travel, that's cool."