MELBOURNE — For the seventh year in a row, Edgewood faced Holy Trinity in a district final for a berth into the Class 2A state playoffs.
Holy Trinity controlled the opening set, fended off a late Edgewood comeback in the second set and rallied from a deficit in set three to complete a 25-15, 25-20, 25-23 sweep.
“Very proud of them. That was a great game,” Holy Trinity head coach Kylie Kutzner said. “They really come full circle this season and really made the best of it.”
As they have all year, the Tigers leaned on its senior attacking duo in Taylor Yochim and Brooke Ellingson. Yochim finished with 15 kills and a .500 hit percentage. Ellingson followed suit with 14 kills.
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“They are peaking right now as players,” Kutzner said. “It’s a really great time for them to be playing their best ball. Next year we’re going to miss them so much.”
Holy Trinity received contributions in the attack from junior Elle Butera and sophomore Scarlett Thurmond. Both finished with seven kills each with sophomore Sam Smith orchestrating the offense with 38 assists.
The steady hand in the back row was senior Gracin Borboroglu. She finished with a team-high 16 digs.
“It feels great. This is my fourth year here, so it’s just been great to see the team evolve and the many different seasons we’ve been through the past four years,” Borboroglu said. “This season has definitely been different from the rest so it’s great to just come together at the end of the season and celebrate something big.”
Borboroglu and the senior class will cap their high school careers in the state playoffs as the Tigers extended their state appearance streak to five consecutive years.
“It’s meant a lot. I love the team. I love my school,” Borboroglu said. “My favorite part is just meeting everybody and there’s been a lot of new faces this season, so just being able to bond with everybody and create a special connection with each and everyone of the players has been my favorite part of the season.”
This was anything but a straightforward season for Holy Trinity. After going 17-9 last season, the Tigers faced adversity all year navigating a tough schedule with young players stepping into varsity roles. Another piece of adversity was an injury to junior Reena Kahlon in the final match of the regular season.
After starting the year 2-11, Holy Trinity enters the state playoffs on a three-match winning streak and an 11-14 record.
“Incredible growth. We struggled in the beginning,” Kutzner said. “We had a little bit of a rough patch and then we worked hard, got through it, used it to our advantage and now we are reaping the fruits of that.”
Holy Trinity received contributions from the entire roster. Yochim, Ellingson, sophomore Stella Dawson, Butera and Kahlon spiked over 100 kills this season. Smith tallied 463 assists in her first varsity season. Borboroglu recorded 321 digs following by Ellingson’s 232 digs and eighth grader Emily Canlas’ 192 digs.
“I’m so proud. We definitely have had to overcome a lot,” Borboroglu said. “We just had another injury, but I think we’ve done a really good working through it and filling for those positions when somebody couldn’t give their all.”
The Tigers enter the Class 2A, Region 2 state playoffs battle tested having played against district champions Merritt Island, Viera, Vero Beach and Orangewood Christian along with likely state playoff teams Space Coast, Astronaut, Satellite, Brevard HEAT, Foundation Academy, Melbourne, Lake Highland Prep and Lake Howell.
“I think we’re prepared,” Boroboroglu said. “I think we know what we need to do so it all just comes down to how we play that day and I think we have to have a strong mindset going into this next game because it’s going to be tough. If we all trust each other, hopefully it’s a good outcome.”
Holy Trinity will learn its regional quarterfinal opponent on Oct. 18. The match takes place on Oct. 20. Kutzner said she believes the team is ready to face the type of competition it’ll see in the state playoffs.
“I hope that it can be an easier game because we’re used to the speed of the game that we’re going to be facing on Tuesday,” Kutzner said. “Hopefully that will come to our advantage on Tuesday.”
Edgewood fought valiantly after a shaky first set. The Red Wolves trailed 19-12 in set two before cutting the deficit to 22-20. The Tigers spiked three straight kills to close out the set.
The Red Wolves maintained a slim lead for the majority of the third set leading 20-19. However, Holy Trinity scored three straight points to bring up match point. Edgewood saved two match points before a kill ended the district final.
“I thought we came out very hyped and that kind of got the best of us in the first set and then we settled down and played a lot more composed, especially in the third set so I was really proud of them for that,” Edgewood head coach Shannon Dowdell said.
Red Wolves senior Macy Ferguson spiked a team-high 10 kills to go with seven digs and two aces. Junior Kelsey Kennedy was impactful with seven kills and six blocks.
“Kelsey (Kennedy) is like a playmaker so we get her the ball so that she can make the plays for us,” Dowdell said. “She did a great job blocking too. She’s just really good at fronting that hitter and finding the shoulder and making sure it doesn’t get past her.”
Ferguson, Leona Kelley and Paige Tarango played their final high school matches on Oct. 15. They helped Edgewood establish a winning culture that culminated in the school’s first state playoff appearance since 2021 last year.
“They’re really like the big sisters of the group,” Dowdell said. “Really took the leadership seriously and did a really good job with making sure that everybody knew what they were to do and they set the tone. They did a really great job setting a positive tone.”
Edgewood completes the season with a 9-10 record. It rebounded from a midseason five-match losing streak to win six of their final nine matches.
“You can judge a season by wins or losses. I don’t like to do that. I would rather judge it on the connections that were made between the team and the culture that we’re building there, and I think that we were really successful in that,” Dowdell said. “From the beginning of the season to this end of the season, it’s a different team. They really trusted each other. They really took to heart the coaching and all the things we worked on. I think we were successful.”
Oct. 15 scores
District 7-5A Tournament
Viera def. Heritage 3-1 (25-14, 19-25, 25-14, 25-18)
The Hawks pulled away from a pesky Panthers squad to win their sixth consecutive district title.
Viera advances to the Class 5A, Region 2 state playoffs with an 18-9 record. It’ll be making its eighth consecutive state playoff appearance on Oct. 21 in the regional quarterfinals.
Heritage ends the season as a district runner-up for the second straight year. The Panthers posted a 16-9 campaign for a third straight winning season.
District 8-3A Tournament
Merritt Island def. Space Coast 3-0 (25-9, 25-15, 25-13)
Merritt Island captured its 25th district championship following a sweep of Space Coast to complete a perfect district tournament.
Mustangs junior Ema Michell posted a double-double of 18 kills and 12 digs. Junior Lydia Scott recorded 12 kills and four blocks. Senior Reece Loggins dug nine balls and served five aces. Senior Amber Ives tallied 36 assists.
Merritt Island enters the Class 3A, Region 2 state playoffs on Oct. 20 as the No. 1 seed with a 22-6 record. Space Coast completes the district tournament with a 14-11 record and will look to hear its name when the bracket is revealed on Oct. 18.
District 8-1A Tournament
St. Edward’s def. Brevard HEAT 3-0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-13)
Brevard HEAT suffered its second defeat to St. Edward’s this season. The Firehawks head into the Class 1A, Region 2 state playoffs as the likely No. 2 seed with a 21-5 record.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Holy Trinity, Viera, Merritt Island win district volleyball finals