PORT CHARLOTTE — Nygeria Hart has powered the Port Charlotte volleyball team to a district championship and the No. 1 seed in the regional tournament, and coach Julie White is doing her best to reward her for it while she still can.
Hart remained on the court as her fellow starters were subbed out during the final set of a dominating sweep (25-10, 25-14, 25-15) of No. 8 Cypress Creek in the Region 5A-3 quarterfinals on Wednesday night in an attempt to inch her closer to 1,000 career kills.
The senior outside hitter added five kills in that final set to give her a team-leading 16 kills on the night, leaving her with a realistic chance to reach a rare milestone when the Pirates host the winner of No. 4 North Fort Myers vs. No. 5 St. Petersburg on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the 5A-3 semifinals.
“We’re trying,” White said, adding that Hart is now 16 kills away from 1,000 in her career. “I think she can do it on Saturday. She’s so close that I’m afraid if I take her out, I’m going to take away that opportunity for her.