VARSITY VOLLEYBALL: Senior Night Success Highlights Great Second Half of Season
Senior Night on October 4 saw five senior Conquerors garner the bulk of the success TCA Conquerors Varsity Volleyball had in defeating Flagler Palm Coast.
Before the game, Trinity honored seniors Ally Carter (#11 in photo), Mya King (#20), Layla Brooks (#25), Sheridan Beck (#3), and Karissa Aman (#7) as they played their next-to-last regular-season home game for TCA Volleyball.
The Conquerors had little trouble with the visiting Bulldogs as they won in straight sets by scores of 25-10, 25-17, and 25-12. All in attendance – including visiting fans, players, and coaches – had a fun time in the gym and left with smiles on their faces. Trinity also recognized the seniors on the FPCHS roster.
Carter, King, Brooks, Beck, and Aman led Trinity to victory by combining for 19 of the team’s 25 kills, 17 of 19 service aces, 5 of 7 blocks, and 23 of Trinity’s 25 total digs.
Aman and Carter each had 6 kills to lead TCA while King’s 7 aces paced all servers and Brooks’ 4 aces placed second.
Teamwork at the net led to Brooks blocking 3 Flagler kill attempts and King blocking 2.
Carter and Aman each had 6 digs while Beck and King each had 5.
The Conquerors controlled the game from the opening serve. Freshman Ariel Ross served the first 8 points of the match, and Trinity trailed only one time all night: 1-0 to start Set 3.
SEASON SUMMARY
The Conquerors opened the season with 5 straight wins before getting their first loss on September 13 at district rival Providence in 4 hotly contested sets. An easy win over Hilliard followed the next night before Trinity participated in the annual River City Classic at JJVA on Friday and Saturday, September 17 and 18.
During the Classic, Trinity played some of the toughest competition from around Florida in Best-of-3 matches. The Conquerors fell to Yulee and Buchholz (Gainesville) on Friday but sent both matches to their third sets. On Saturday, TCA won 2 of 3 against Chiles (Tallahassee), Fleming Island, and Holy Trinity Episcopal (Melbourne), winning the last 2 in 3 sets. Even in their losing sets, Trinity scored at least 20 points in all but 1 full set and had 18 in that one.
Returning to Best-of-5 regular-season play, the Conquerors won 4 of their next 5 matches by combined set totals of 15-1 with the only set loss coming to Nease, 25-22. Sweeps of Harvest Community, P.K. Yonge, and St. Johns Country Day School were also part of that run.
The Conquerors, though, play in one of the toughest districts in Florida (3A, D2) and had to battle Episcopal on the road on September 27. The match went 5 nail-biting sets. Episcopal won the first two 25-20 and 25-19. Trinity came back to win Sets 3 and 4 by scores of 25-23 and 26-24 in seesaw fashion. Episcopal, however, outlasted the Conquerors to win 15-9 in Set 5.
After a 3-0 win over SJCDS the next night, the Conquerors were ready for their Senior Night ceremony and tremendous win over Flagler Palm Coast.
REMAINING SCHEDULE
The Conquerors enter the final 2 weeks of the regular season with records of 13-5 overall and 0-2 in district play.
Trinity will participate at the annual Bishop Moore Swing for the Cure Invitational in Orlando on Friday and Saturday, October 8 and 9, to help raise breast cancer awareness. On Friday, Trinity will battle Kissimmee’s Central Point Christian Academy and Fort Pierce’s Central High School. They will conclude pool play with a match against Palm Harbor University High School on Saturday before entering single-elimination bracket play.
The regular season will end with a district match at Bishop Snyder on Tuesday, October 12, and the finale at home against Ridgeview on Thursday, October 14.
The Class 3A, District 2 tournament begins on Monday, October 18, with the higher seed hosting each match played.
NOTE
Freshman Amaria King leads all North Florida players and ranks 12th in the state with 271 kills in 18 matches (15.05 per match) according to MaxPreps as of October 4.
** Head Coach Crystal Dow contributed to this report.
Raymond Bureau | October 2021