The Lady Jaguars led 20-13 in the second set and were closing in on tying the match at one set each when Baker caught fire going on a 12-3 run to close out the set to take control of things once and for all.

Lady Gator coach Chelsea Medley offered a simple explanation as to what happened during the second set.

“You have to stay focused, stay disciplined,” she said. “In rally scoring if you lose discipline, you are giving up points and the other team is able to get ahead by not doing anything.

“We were all at fault. I even said I was at fault at the start of the second set. We weren’t focused and we were talking about things that we weren’t supposed to be talking about. We need to stay focused on volleyball until the W (win) is there and don’t get off of it.”

She said there is time to talk about other things and have fun after the job is done.

Even on days when not fully focused, championship teams are able to comeback and get the job done, which is what the Lady Gators did.

The Lady Jaguars folded in the third set after Baker weathered Central’s storm in the second set. It was as if the Lady Gator rally deflated Central and took the will to compete out of the Jaguars.

Baker took control early in the first set with early kills from Maddie Mills and Annalese Saunders.

Central led 8-6 before a Saunders kill sparked a 5-0 run with Brooke Brunson in serve. Saunders had another kill for the last point of the run as Baker was up 11-8 and never looked back. Saunders continued her impressive play with a kill to start a 6-0 run making the score17-10. Mills had a pair of kills and Eiress Rockwell scored for the Lady Gators as well.

Kaleigh Moss had a couple of kills down the stretch as Baker finished off the set.

A kill by Moss followed by an ace by McKenzie McGraw put Baker up 5-4 in the second set. Leading 12-11, Central went on an 8-2 run to move up 20-13.

Saunders, Moss and Kat Price did most of the heavy lifting down the stretch putting the Lady Gators on their shoulders to carry Baker across the finish line in set two.

Set three was all Baker from a kill by Mills to start the scoring to 11 unanswered points with Brunson in serve, the Lady Gators played like champs to close out the set and the match.

In the end the bigger school had more fire power. But the loss should prepare the Lady Gators for the season ahead as they attempt to defend their Class 1A state championship.

“I think we lost some gas, and we dropped in discipline,” coach Chelsea Medley said. “We gave away too many points doing things like serving the ball out, hitting the ball, hitting the ball in the net. Or not doing defensive assignments.

“If you are giving away points in rally scoring, it’s really hard to come back, especially against a team as good as Pace.”

Baker jumped to a quick 6-1 lead with Annalese Saunders leading the way. Saunders had a kill and a couple of service aces to jump start the Lady Gator attack.

She had help from Maddie Mills and Kaleigh Moss as they flexed their muscles at the net to put Baker in front 8-1.

Brooke Brunson came up big on the back end of the set to help the Lady Gators finish off the first set win.

The last three sets belong to Pace although Baker continued to put up a good fight.

Carleigh Krumnow teamed with Mills, Moss and Saunders to keep things interesting in set two.

A kill from the back row by Saunders put Baker in front 15-13. Pace closed out the set with a 12-2 run to pull even in the match.

Pace took the lead at 6-5 in the third set and continually pulled away from Baker to move in front in the match 2-1.

The Lady Gators refused to go quietly into the warm late summer night in set four. But in the end it was too much Pace.

Moss and Mills had kills in the fourth set and Saunders continued her strong play. McKenzie McGraw did her best to help the Baker cause, but it wasn’t enough as Pace took the win.

“You have to stay humble, and you have to do your job. At the end of the day, everybody we play, is going to be good enough to beat us if we aren’t doing our job and playing our game on our side of the net.”

Baker dropped its first match of the season in four sets to Class 6A Pace.

Two matches into the season, Medley is seeing a combination of players that excites her about the team’s potential to make another run at a state championship.

“What I’m seeing right now is we are going to thrive and be successful a little bit more this year in our system,” she said. “I think we’ve got a lot of hands (to set) everywhere. I had at least five or six girls try out for setter and they’re all still on the floor.

“As long as we are playing scrappy and getting the ball up, we are still going to get some good hard attack swings because we are going to get the ball up and run our offense no matter what. I think Kayleigh Moss played her butt off. It was nice to see her go off like that tonight.”

The Lady Gators opened the first set with an ace from Carliegh Krumnow and a kill from Maddie Mills and led throughout the set.

Moss got her first kill of the match eight points into the opening frame to push the Baker lead to 6-2.

The score was 9-2 after back-to-back aces by McKenzie McGraw. But the Lady Braves didn’t make the trip from DeFuniak Springs to roll over and play dead. Walton scored five unanswered points to pull to withing 9-7.

Two points was as close as the visitors got as for every run Walton had, Baker countered with a run of as many points. Mills and Moss continued to do the heavy work at the net for the Lady Gators. The set ended with a Kat Price block.

Walton turned the tables in set two allowing the Lady Gators to only tie the set at 1-1 and 4-4. The Lady Braves scored seven points in a row after the 4-4 tie to grab a sizeable lead Baker was unable to overcome. The Lady Gators closed out strong, but by then it was too little too late as Walton held on for the second set win.

Set three was all Baker.

Moss proved to be all kinds of trouble for the Lady Braves as she led Baker on a 9-0 run breaking open the set that was tied 2-2 and pushing the Lady Gators to an 11-2 lead.

A Baker error in serve made the score 11-3, but eight was as close as Walton got in the set. Price, Moss and McGraw came up big down the stretch as the Lady Gators cruised to the win taking a 2-1 lead in sets.

The Lady Gators showed their championship stuff in closing out the match in the fourth set. Walton was up 24-21 and needed just one point to force a fifth set.

Baker scored a point off a Walton serving error. Moss delivered a kill with Brooke Brunson serving to pull the Lady Gators within a point at 24-23.  A Walton point would have won the set, but Baker closed out the match with three unanswered points.

Annalese Sanders delivered a kill to put Baker up 25-24 and Price delivered the final score of the night to seal the Lady Gator win.

Chloe Ates has been a mainstay for the Lady Gators. It seems only appropriate that the senior leaves Baker School with what is not only first volleyball team, but the first for any female sport.

“Everything’s coming to an end and I’m finishing up this chapter in my life,” she said. “I’m going on to the next one (chapters in life playing volleyball at St. Leo’s) and it just feels so surreal and it’s, it’s a little sad at the same time.

“But I know that this has prepared me for the next chapter in my life and I’m just going to be very prepared, and I have a lot to look forward to.”

Baker coach Chelsea Medley was beaming as she talked about another of her players having the chance to continue their athletic career while playing a game they love.

“I enjoy it so much,” she said of seeing her players sign. “I’m just excited for them to be able to go and experience it.

“It’s different from high school ball. You get those individual practices you don’t get in high school. You get to develop more in a shorter amount of time.”

Coastal Alabama coach Steven Dickey was on hand to welcome his new addition. He said he sees plenty to like in Westberry starting with her 6-foot frame.

“A lot of times when your on the recruiting trail it’s the size (of a player) that draws you,” Dickey said. “You can’t teach 5-foot-11 or 6-feet. She’s a bigger player, but still fairly athletic and she really has a great arm swing.

“We need to get bigger on the outside and she is going to be able to help us. The plan now is to use her on the right side and that’s the side where the best hitter from the other team usually lines up.”

Dickey said the biggest thing most players transitioning from high school to college need to work on is their footwork and Westberry is no exception. He isn’t worried about her being able to make the adjustments as the Coastal Alabama staff works with her.

Westberry looked at other schools, but she said she was quickly sold on what Dickey and Coastal Alabama had to offer.

“I went to a few schools before (visiting Coastal),” she said. “I went to Coastal and I saw the coach and the campus that just I knew that’s where I wanted to go. It just felt like home.

“From the beginning of the year I pushed myself to work for what I wanted and to be able to play the next level. I feel like when I get there and I’m just going to be the best.”

Dickey said Westberry’s championship pedigree will be a big plus in building a winning culture in his program.

“You don’t get a lot of them (players from championship teams) because state championships are few and far between,” he said. “We started to gravitate to those players and she’s going to be a great teammate, a great team athlete and I think she’s going to really help us.”

“The moment I stepped on the St. Leo campus and coach Natalia (Koryzna) offered me (the scholarship), I knew it was where I want to be,” Ates said.

A big part of the decision had to do with Koryzna’s willingness to work with Ates as she works toward a degree in nursing.

“She was very understanding that if I have to go do clinical, I can miss practice as long as I make up workouts or things like that,” Ates said. “And that made it (the decision) easy.”

Ates has been a fixture on the Gator varsity volleyball team since she was in the eighth grade when she was moved up to the varsity along with Lily Adams.

Coach Chelsea Medley, who was then the Baker assistant coach, knew from those early days Ates spent on the Lady Gator varsity that she had the chance to be a special player.

“When you give those kids that opportunity at this K through 12 school as eighth graders to come up and play at the varsity level and they show their potential, you think they might have a chance to reach that potential,” Medley said.

All the potential in the world means nothing without the willingness to put in the hard work. Medley said Ates has definitely put in the work to reach her full potential.

“She’s just one of those kids that makes it worth it,” Medley said. “She works hard and she loves the game. She’s a great, great teammate and great teammates make great teams.

“She’s the libero on a state championship team and that just speaks as a testament to her abilities to be able to sign and play at the next level. She’s a special player and truly deserves it.”

Volleyball has been the only sport Ates focused on in recent years playing travel and club ball with the high school season is over.

Between club ball, playing for the state championship and Medley scheduling the Lady Gators to play up in competition against the likes of Crestview, Niceville and Pace, Ates was exposed to some of the highest levels of competition. She believes playing against those big time players will help her as she embarks on her college career.

Ates believes the one thing she takes to the college level that will help her the most is not necessarily her athletic ability.

“It’s my energy on the floor,” she said. “And just being very mentally calm and mentally stable.

“When you start overthinking, you freak out and that’s the downfall for a team.”

Baker coach Chelsea Medley smiles when she thinks about the senior players.

“All four of them are just Baker Lady Gators,” she said. “They’ve been here for so long. They have so many ties to the team.

“Some of their parents are alumni here, so they really are just true lady Gators,” Medley added “And I think the legacy they’ll leave is just continuing to put in the hard work, taking the losses on the chin, you know, and just keeping the fight and going at it.”

All great teams have players that provide a safety valve of sort keeping the team from getting too high or low.

The seniors have provided the proper mix of light-hearted fun to balance the serious business of preparing for a championship run.

The humor of the seniors came through as the Lady Gators practiced leading up to the region playoffs.

“Some of the funniest times are definitely when we were prepping for the regional tournament,” Medley said. “They just started coming in to practice as a team making up theme days.  Some of the themes they had were Neon Day, Pink Out Day, Halloween Day.

“They dressed like me one day, which was my favorite,” Medley continued. “They were able, as a team, to just have fun with it and not be serious all the time. You’ve got to be focused and keep your mind on what you are doing, but you have to have fun as well.”

Great teams know when to flip off the fun switch and get into competition mode. This Lady Gator team was that kind of team.

“You’ve got to be able to live in the moment,” Medley said. “I think they did a really good job of that these last few days. When the post season comes around we start thinking we have six steps (two in the district tournament, two in region and two in state) and we went and tackled every one of them.”

The Combest Family Tree produced a coach and educator.

As almost everybody knows, Medley’s mother is long-time Lady Gator volleyball and basketball coach Kathy Combest, the Godmother of Lady Gator sports. Her father, Steve, was Baker’s head baseball coach and an assistant football coach at Baker.

It was only natural for one of their two children to go into family profession.

Their oldest child, Chase, pursued another career path, but daughter Chelsea Combest Medley seemed destined to coach from the outset.

With that in mind, Medley has literally been attending state volleyball tournaments with the Lady Gators all of her life.

Combest said Chelsea was 15 months old when Baker appeared in the Final Four the first time in 1991. Medley was 3-years old in 1993 when the Lady Gators lost to Berkeley Prep in the championship match.

Being around sports, not just volleyball and basketball, but all sports has always been the norm for Medley as her dad, Steve Combest, was the Baker baseball coach and an assistant football coach as he was growing up.

When Kathy Combest retired as the Lady Gator volleyball and basketball coach, Medley, who had been her assistant was handed the reigns to the programs.

Kathy Combest finds greater joy and fulfillment in the shadows watching her daughter succeed than she ever felt with her own success.

When asked would she pick winning the state title that eluded her as a coach or to win a state championship or having Chelsea win the title, Combest didn’t hesitate with her answer.

“I would want her to win 100 percent” Combest said. “You always want your children to be more successful than you were.”

Combest said it was only natural that Medley ended up coaching. With both sets of grandparents in Mississippi, Medley and her older brother, Chase Combest, traveled the highways and narrow roads of Northwest Florida to the next game one of the parents were coaching.

Kathy tells the story about when she had an idea her daughter might go into the family business of coaching.

“She understood things, maybe it was because we were in the gym all the time,” Combest said. “We were at a basketball camp when she was five-years old and she drew up out of bounds play and it made sense. She’s always been around it.”

A child only knows and understands the career of their parents unless a parent changes careers while their child growing up.

“I think people grow up in all different kinds of lifestyles and scenarios,” Medley said. “This is just the lifestyle I grew up with having both parents being coaches. It’s just so natural for me to want to go out and compete and fight for things know how much Mama put in on all those previous teams.”

The numbers that tell the story of the season are the 11 wins against no losses in Class 1A play. Six of those wins came in the district, region and state tournaments.

The final two wins were in the state semifinal on Monday. The last win, the one that has eluded the Lady Gators came Tuesday afternoon when Baker beat Branford in four sets to win the first team state championship in any sport in Lady Gators history.

Baker won the match 21-25, 25-15, 25-23, 28-26.

Two more numbers to throw out. Seven did turn out to be a lucky number for the Lady Gators as they won the title in their seventh appearance in a state final match.

The final number is 30 as it was 30 years ago that Baker played in its first volleyball final. The Lady Gator coach then was Kathy Combest. The first championship goes to Chelsea Combest Medley.

Baker punched a ticket to the championship match on Monday defeating Liberty County the school that beat the Lady Gators in the 2022 championship match.

The Lady Gators led by at least five points at one time in each of the first three sets. Baker was up 14-9 in the first set only to see Branford come back and secure its only set of the match.

If there can be a relaxing set in a championship match, the second set would be that one for Baker. Unlike the first set when the Lady Gators were unable to hold the lead, Baker never trailed in tying the match at 1-1.

The final two sets were as close and back-and-forth as the scores indicate.

In the tight sets is where the toughness of the Lady Gators born in the matches against 5A and 6A schools showed through. Tough times don’t last, but the tough Lady Gators did.

Baker trailed by five points near the end of the fourth set but stayed the course to pull even. Both teams had an opportunity to claim the set, but neither team was going down easily.

Branford was fighting for its life and the Lady Gators to finish off the long-awaited title.

Several numbers tell the story of Tuesday’s match.

The Lady Gators had 51 kills and Branford had 31 kills. Baker had 15 serving aces to Branford’s six.

Kaleigh Moss led the Lady Gators with 24 kills. Maddie Mills had 11 kills. Kat Price added seven kills with Lily Adams, McKenzie McGraw and Haley Westberry each delivering three kills.

McGraw and Chloe Ates had five aces each for Baker. Mills added two aces to go with her 24 kills giving her 26 points in the match.

The final number of the night is one as in Baker is the Number One volleyball team in Florida’s Class 1A and that will stay with all associated with this team the rest of their lives.