For the Osceola Kowboys girls volleyball team, and long-time head coach Carrie Palmi, the quest for an elusive Class 7A state championship has so far been a never-ending odyssey.

Near misses and being oh-so-close have defined a team that has gotten as far as the state semifinals in two of the past three years, highlighted by last year’s 25-22, 22-25, 26-24, 25-22 loss to Winter Park , which won its fifth FHSAA championship.

After a convincing win over Hagerty in straight sets (25-13, 25-21, 25-17) on Thursday, Osceola (15-3) showed it is on a mission to again chase the title.

“We are definitely craving it. We’re hungry,” said Palmi.

Palmi’s daughter, Cate, an All-Area player as a freshman, sophomore and junior, set the tone for Osceola with 20 kills and 7 digs to lead an attack t

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