Orlando Christian Prep

OCP's Varsity Volleyball team is hitting their groove at the right time of the season. The Lady Warriors won 2 of 3 games in 3 consecutive days following postponements due to Hurricane Ian, and have started the final week of the regular season with 2 wins against district opponents.

OCP (10-8) concludes the week and regular season against their third district foe of the week against rival Faith Christian Academy for Senior Night on Thursday October 13. 

Faith Christian and OCP have matched up twice previously this season, splitting the matches 1-1. The first meeting back in early September was controlled by the Lions in their gym 3-0. The second meeting took place in pool play of the Lake Mary Prep invitational. In that match, the Warriors won 2-0 as the match was the second consecutive match for OCP following an exciting 2-1 victory over Merritt Island Christian. 

Both teams sit in the top 2 spots in the FHSAA 2A Region 2 District 7 rankings published by FHSAA.com.  The top seeds host district games in the 6-team field, including the championship game. An OCP win may go a long way towards giving the Lady Warriors the top seed and home court advantage in districts.

Earlier in the week, the Lady Warriors defeated City of Life Christian Academy for the annual Dig Pink Match 3-1 (29-27, 25-9, 23-25, 25-13). Senior Lydia Mascari led the team with 5 serving aces and 36 assists. Senior Aalyssa Gunn had a team-high 16 kills, along with 18 digs. Junior Kalyn McIntyre had a team-high 39 digs. Sophomore Lilly Lach served a team-high 17 consecutive points, which included 3 aces, in the second set.

The following night, OCP defeated Central Florida Leadership Academy (CFLA) 3-0 (25-5, 25-12, 25-12).  Senior Carlee Cruz had a team-high 8 serving aces and Mascari had a team-high 7 kills.

SENIOR NIGHT

OCP's Class of 2023 seniors, known as the "Fab 5," are a mix of players that have grown up in the volleyball program and newer contributors. 

Ariana Cintron, defensive specialist, is in her first year at OCP after playing varsity volleyball since her sophomore year at her previous school. Marieva de Paulo Junco, middle, is in her second year at OCP and on the varsity volleyball team. Despite missing significant time last year due to injury, de Paulo Junco has been a steady presence at the net this season.

The trio Cruz (middle), Mascari (setter) and Gunn (outside hitter) have been 4-year varsity players under Head Coach Omar Soto.

Cruz, who also plays softball for OCP along with travel softball, has grown into a confident server and attacker from the middle this season.

Mascari has played in the OCP program for the past 9 years. As the primary setter she has become one the best in Class 2A this season. She averages 8.2 assists/game, which is tied for 5th best in the state.

Gunn serves as captain and outside hitter with a 3.2 kills/set average, which ranks Top 20 (t.17) in Class 2A.  She has been a two-time All-District player and was the team's 2021 Offensive Player of the Year. A rare 3-sport athlete, Gunn was named the OCP Female Athlete of the Year for the 2021-22 school year as she played basketball and ran track after the volleyball season.

The "Fab 5" have done a great job of leading this team through a challenging season where much of it has been played without the full opening season roster. Now, they sit in position to accomplish a team goal of advancing to the district championship game, winning district and advancing to the state tournament.