West Orange boys volleyball wins first Metro Conference title

The West Orange High boys volleyball team dominated the West Metro Conference tournament by sweeping its three, best-of-three matches and claiming the program’s first West Metro championship. 

“It’s just a really crazy feeling to win this,” Warriors senior Samuel Souza said. “I really can’t describe the feeling with words, but it’s a lot of exhilaration and excitement. I’m really proud of this team and how we came together this season. Against all the odds, we’ve been able to overcome all the adversity we faced over the years and pushed ourselves to not only win this championship but be here near the end of the season with a chance to make even more history.”

West Orange topped Apopka High, 2-0, in the quarterfinals, Lake Buena Vista High, 2-0, in the semifinals, and defending West Metro champions and tournament hosts Horizon High, 2-0, in the finals, to bring the trophy home. The win over the Hawks in the finals not only secured the conference title for the Warriors but also avenged one of their few losses this season.

“I feel great; I’m just happy we won,” senior Leonardo Perreria said. “We played our hearts out and left everything we had on the court today. I feel great, and I’m happy we won; ultimately, that’s all that matters. I was nervous there at the end of the second set, because we made a few mistakes that could have cost us the set, but we didn’t get mad at each other and just stayed focused on building each other up and winning each individual point. This win just shows that when we work together, we’re a team that can get a win against anyone out there.”

Led by Souza and this group of eight seniors, the season West Orange has put together is more than just surprising when you consider the type of obstacles the Warriors have had to overcome over the past few seasons. 

“Bringing home this program’s first West Metro title is a fantastic feeling, because of how much this group of guys have been able to overcome,” West Orange coach Royal Webster said. “They deserved this. The way this group has stuck together over the years is incredible. I am their seventh head coach in the last four years. These guys have deserved better, and now they’ve shown that and shown just how good they can be.”

As of press time Tuesday, April 15, West Orange has managed to post a record of 15-3 — tied for the most wins in the program’s history. And with four games left in the regular season, the entire Class 3A, District 4 playoffs and the 3A regional playoffs left to play, the Warriors are on the path to make even more history — especially when you consider they are ending the regular season in red hot form, winning six consecutive games and only losing one of their last 19 sets.

“We’ve been playing well lately, and this win was definitely the kind of game we needed to give us confidence in the final stretch of the regular season,” Souza said. “We really need to end our season on a good note, and this win helps us do that. It will definitely help us to keep pushing and give us belief that we can keep this special season going.”

This group will look to continue to add more accolades to cement its place in the Warriors’ history books. The Warriors hope to close the regular season with a few more wins before district playoffs, set to begin April 28, and regional playoffs.