Cardinal Gibbons senior Logan Keothavy delivered on the court during an impressive final season to lift the Chiefs to a state runner-up finish. Keothavy, a standout outside hitter, has been recognized as the Sun Sentinel boys volleyball player of the year.
Keothavy helped lead the Chiefs to a district and regional title. He finished the season with 354 kills, 207 digs, 65 assists, 38 aces and 24 blocks.
Cardinal Gibbons trailed by two sets in the state quarterfinal against Lake Howell and were on the brink of elimination. Keothavy helped spark the comeback as the Chiefs rallied for a thrilling victory. He finished with 21 kills and 12 digs in the match.
“We were not in rhythm in the first two sets,” he said. “We needed to bring a lot more energy. The fifth set was going back-and-forth. I was one of the players calling for the ball and we were able to push through.”
Cardinal Gibbons won another five-set match in the state semifinal and avenged a playoff loss to Winter Park from last season. Keothavy recorded 16 kills, 12 digs and five blocks in the victory. He also recorded the final point in the match.
“We had a very deep team last year and were surprised how it ended,” he said. “This year, I had a much bigger role on the team. We started strong and lost the lead. We pushed hard in the last set and it was great to beat them after last year. I enjoyed it a lot.”
Keothavy registered 18 kills and 13 digs in four-set loss in the state final against Southwest Miami.
Keothavy grew up playing soccer and was encouraged to participate in volleyball by his parents, who enjoyed beach volleyball. He has trained with Ocean Bay Volleyball Club for several years and had the opportunity to compete against players in older age groups. He started as a libero and improved his skills before his transition to outside hitter. He has been one of the team leaders at AAU Nationals. He continued to improve under the direction of coach Mike Zarate.
“I was able to focus on my passing at first and it’s the hardest skill to pick up so it helped me,” he said. “It’s an environment where you have to work hard. The culture is different there and I like the way the club is ran. I love the sport and I kept coming back.”
Keothavy participated with Team Florida and in USA Volleyball High Performance Indoor tournaments. He had the opportunity to participate in the beach national team development program summer training series. He also reached the beach volleyball final at the East Coast Championships in Clearwater.
Keothavy attended Pompano Beach High School during his freshman year and participated in a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He transferred to Cardinal Gibbons for his final three seasons.
Keothavy said he considered Loyola Chicago as a finalist among schools. He will continue his volleyball career at North Greenville University and also pursue an engineering degree. He credited his parents for their support throughout his journey.
“I really enjoyed my visit to North Greenville,” he said. “The coach is amazing. I will be coming into a good program and I know some of the players so I am looking forward to it.”
