Varsity Volleyball: Conquerors Sweep Their Way to Nike Tournament of Champions Title

After starting the season with tremendous wins over Jacksonville powerhouses Bolles and Providence, the Trinity Christian Academy Conquerors showcased their talents at the annual Nike Invitational Tournament of Champions on September 2 and 3 and faced six talented teams from around the state of Florida. The Conquerors, though, showed why they are also considered one of Florida’s finest. Trinity won three matches each day and swept their way to the title, winning 12 of the 14 sets played in the process.

Head coach Emma Roberson summarized the team’s play, stating how the Conquerors maintained control throughout every match. “I am so excited to see what this team can do,” she said. “In each match we controlled the flow of the game and showed how competitive our girls can be across different levels of teams in Florida. We won the elite division, winning six matches against strong teams. We dropped only two sets all weekend.”

Friday, September 2

The Conquerors won the opener against 7A Vero Beach in straight sets by scores of 25-19 and 25-11. Vero Beach features Florida Gator commit Madison Gravlee, but the Conquerors overwhelmed the VB Indians.

In Game 2, Trinity came back from losing the first set 25-14 to Class 3A Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart (Miami) to win the final two sets 25-17 and 15-11. “We came back fast, adjusted to their strong players, and took control of the match,” said Coach Roberson.

In the last match on Friday, the Conquerors had a very easy 25-12 first set against 5A Fivay (Hudson). Set 2 was much tougher, going back and forth until the Conquerors put it away with a 25-21 win to secure the match. Coach Roberson described Fivay as a middle-hitting offense that Trinity was able to shut down.

Saturday, September 3

In the final round of pool play, the Conquerors opened with 7A Palmetto (Miami). Trinity started slow but made a comeback and lost a nail-biting first set 25-22. They came back to take the second with ease at 25-14. “After we came back, the momentum swung our way, and we took control of the flow of the match,” said Coach Roberson.

Set 3 was no problem as the Conquerors kept Palmetto in single digits on route to a 15-9 score to win the pool and put themselves into the tournament semifinal. They would not lose another set.

In that semifinal, the Conquerors had an easy time with 6A Buchholz (Gainesville), winning in straight sets 25-11 and 25-19, which pleased the head coach in avenging a loss to Buchholz in 2021. “We lost to Buchholz last season at the JJVA tournament, but they could not handle our quick-tempo offense, and we won in two sets.”

The Conquerors then secured the tournament championship with a straight-set win over then-undefeated 6A Lyman (Longwood) with set scores of 25-17 and 25-16. “Longwood was led by two strong outside hitters and a big blocker up front,” said Coach Roberson. “Our strong serving and fast tempo to Hadley [Dantzler] allowed us to slow their moment and win decisively in a 2-0 match.”

Coach’s Thoughts

"Our girls showed an impressive defense against all teams, providing big stops at the net from Hadley Dantzler and Taelyn Graham. When the ball did get through, our defensive system, led by Taylor Teaman, could not be matched."

“We saw another impressive weekend from Mari King leading our offense and great performances from Avery Haney and Ali Haney, too."

“I am just so impressed by the skill, athleticism, and culture this new team has created. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for our program this season."

Ranking

With these six wins, the Conquerors are now 8-0 on the season and primed to make an excellent run for the duration. In the first MaxPreps ranking of the season, which came out Monday, September 5, the Conquerors are the #7 team in Florida, #3 in Class 3A, and #1 in the Jacksonville area.

Although six of the nine remaining matches – plus the River City Classic – are on the road against more of the toughest teams in the area, the Conquerors are in prime position to win the district for the second consecutive season and surpass their region final appearance from a year ago.

See the full varsity schedule via MaxPreps by clicking here.

Photo: Michelle Ross