MOORE HAVEN – History was made at Moore Haven High School on Oct. 18 thanks to the Terriers’ volleyball team.

For the first time, the volleyball team won a district championship. Moore Haven topped Marathon High School, 3-1, in an emotional Rural District 8 championship match. Scores were 20-25, 25-11, 25-19, 25-17.

“They just made school history. This is a great team,” said Moore Haven coach Mona Baker, who, along with assistant coach Jerry Veloz, has guided Moore Haven to a 15-2 record, likely the program’s best ever.

“We’ve worked so hard to get here,” said Tiyanni Anderson, who led Moore Haven in kills.

After the game, Baker’s daughter, Preslynn, the team’s main setter, received the district championship trophy and hoisted it up in celebration with teammates in a gymnasium whose walls feature championship accomplishments from the school’s other sports, but not for volleyball; that’s about to change.

“We actually talked about it at practice [the previous day]. We’re like, it would be really cool to be the only volleyball up there,” said Baker, a senior.

“Nobody has ever done it before, so it feels amazing and it’s definitely surreal to be part of history,” said Tahnia Billie, a junior.

Baker, Billie and Anderson along with Kulipa Julian, Truley Osceola, Marley Jimmie and Miley Jimmie are Seminole Tribe players on the team. Other players are Adore Thomas, Akeelah Ling, Landra Oxer, Trinity Guerry and Brooklyn Sergent.

After losing the first set, Moore Haven seized momentum in the second set and never relinquished it. With the scored tied 5-5, Moore Haven won five straight points on Ling’s serves and a kill from Anderson. Shortly after, Anderson reeled off four straight service points and Baker won a battle at the net on one of the match’s longest points.

Up 18-10, Moore Haven pulled away for good thanks to four points on Julian’s serve.

Game 3 was tight throughout. Tied 18-18, Moore Haven received two kills from Anderson and one from Brooklyn Sergent to oustcore Marathon 7-1 and take a 2-1 lead in sets.

Moore Haven led throughout game 4, which was highlighted by a point on a block from Baker.

The championship victory seals a spot in the regional tournament, which Moore Haven has only qualified for once in its history (1986), according to FHSAA records. Regional playoffs are slated to start Oct. 26. The Terriers will host Chiefland at 7 p.m.