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Sherwood Coach Pete Siarkas and seniors Matt Florian and Taryn Scafide won their third county title in the past four years.
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By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com

Continuing a legacy started before their volleyball careers at Sherwood, Coach Pete Siarkas and senior Matt Florian led the Warriors to their third coed volleyball championship in four years.

Sherwood defeated Paint Branch in three games --25-17, 25-22, 25-22 – to bring the state championship back to Sandy Springs after a one-year stay at Damascus.

The Warriors capped off an undefeated season and have now won “nine or ten” state championships overall, according to Coach Siarkas.

“It’s extremely sweet,” senior Taryn Scafide said.

Florian paced the attack with 23 kills thanks to the setting of junior Robin Lee.

It’s the second time Sherwood (16-0) beat Paint Branch this season but Florian said he was a bit nervous before the game because Paint Branch wasn’t at full strength last time the two teams faced on April 27 – a 3-0 Sherwood win.

“We were a little nervous, but we had confidence and that helped not being too afraid on the court and being able to dig everything up,” Florian said.

Sherwood has a great deal of support for its boys and coed volleyball teams. There is a lunch league at the school and several volleyball classes that students battle to get into.

“Coed’s a fun season,” Siarkas said. “Guys like playing with the girls. We just keep the tradition going.”

The Warriors’ combination of power with the guys and control with its girls is what helped them excel this season. Siarkas said the team played better defense than the Panthers on Thursday, which was the main difference in the match.

“The girls are really great at passing,” Florian said. “They have really good skills. It makes a good combination to have great control with the ball and have the guys with all the strength. We work really well together.”

Paint Branch finishes the season at 14-2 with its only losses coming against the Warriors. It was the first time in school history that the Panthers advanced to the championship game.