ST. PETERSBURG - Quick, name the only team making its third straight appearance in the Pinellas County Athletic Conference volleyball championship match.
East Lake? Nope.
Clearwater? Guess again.
The correct answer is Northeast.
Northeast!
The same program that had just three winning seasons and no postseason appearances in its first 21 seasons? The same program that won one match in 1997?
Yes, that program. The Vikings (15-3), downtrodden for years, are representing the South division of the PCAC and will host North division winner Clearwater (17-5) in the final Wednesday night at 7.
"We've had talent and always had a great feeder system with many players coming from Riviera and Meadowlawn middle schools," said coach Sean O'Flannery, who took over the Northeast program in 1999. "They already knew how to pass and serve. We just needed it to all come together."
O'Flannery knew it would take time to turn around a perennial loser and accumulate enough good players. The Vikings started to atone for their futility in 2000 when they finished as the runnerup in the South division and narrowly missed the playoffs.
Since then Northeast has won a district title and advanced as a runnerup. But the Vikings are no longer satisfied with just making it to the PCAC final and the postseason. They want to win.
To make that happen, O'Flannery formed his own club volleyball team, St. Pete Volleyball, and beefed up the high school schedule. With players devoted to the sport year-round, O'Flannery is helping narrow the gap between the south and north part of the county.
After going 1-6 against North division teams last season, the Vikings are 5-0 this year. One team Northeast hasn't beat is Clearwater.
The Vikings hope that comes Wednesday.
"This match will be a big test for us," said senior Shannon Sterner, the only Northeast starter who has played varsity all four years. "We've been in the finals for three years now and we'd like to finally come out on top."
