Brevard HEAT middles shine in win over Holy Trinity

Brevard HEAT volleyball hosted Holy Trinity on Sept. 15 seeking its fourth win in the last five matches. On the other hand, the Tigers looked to win its third match of the season.

The Firehawks prevailed in a tight first set, controlled the second set and finished off the Tigers in the fourth set for a 27-25, 25-20, 18-25, 25-19 victory.

“Our first two sets were really good,” Brevard HEAT head coach Darrah Bowen said. “We got a little silly in set three, but we came out hard in set four so that was good.”

The play of the middle hitters for Brevard HEAT was the difference in the match. Firehawks junior Audrina Olsen totaled 7 kills and 3 blocks for points. Senior Brooke Arce also spiked 7 kills and 1 block for a point. Junior Brooklynn Elder finished with 6 kills and 1 block for a point.

“Our middles have really stepped up this season. We’ve worked real hard to get them to be able to swing every time,” Bowen said. “We have worked so hard the last couple weeks to improve everything about our blocking. Our timing, our height, being together, talking and we’re starting to finally see it come together.”

Brevard HEAT senior Aine Hanley paced the attack with 8 kills and 2 aces.

“I think we started off really strong and then we kind of let it slide a little bit, but then I think we came back even harder and I think that last set was really good,” Hanley said. “We really pushed through and had a good ending.”

Hanley grew her game during the offseason turning into a six-rotation player for the Firehawks. Entering play on Sept. 15, Hanley ranked second on the team in kills (62), aces (24) and digs (94).

“I’m happy with my skill right now, but I think the thing I’m most happy about is being a good teammate. Just being encouraging and talking loud,” Hanley said. “I think that’s really what’s earned a lot of playing time for like everyone on the team. Just being a good teammate and picking each other up when you’re down.

Brevard HEAT junior Kara McCawley also produced 6 kills to go with one block for a point. Senior libero Haley Cowling finished with a team-high 6 aces.

The Firehawks improved to 9-2 and they’ll compete in the two-day Lake Howell Tournament on Sept. 18-19.

“I think we’re doing really well. I think we’re able to push through hard teams like this,” Hanley said. “I think we’re really proving that we’re one of the best teams in the county. It’s been a really fun season so far.”

Holy Trinity lost its third match in a row on Sept. 15 as it struggled with errors. It finished the night with 18 attacking errors and 9 service errors.

“It was up and down. It was both positive and negative in certain moments,” Holy Trinity head coach Kylie Kutzner said. “We’re having some trouble sustaining the positive right now.”

After falling short in a tight first set and dropping the second set, the Tigers were able to turn things around in set three. They jumped out to a 7-1 lead and never looked back.

“The effort, the energy changed a lot. The trust within the team changed,” Kutzner said. “If we can keep that at a higher level and sustain that for longer, it will be a different game.”

Tigers senior Brooke Ellingson led the team with a dozen kills and 5 digs. Right behind her was junior Elle Butera, who finished with a career-high 11 kills.

Holy Trinity senior Taylor Yochim posted 10 kills and 3 blocks. Eighth grader Emily Canlas finished with 14 digs. Sophomore Sam Smith and junior Asha Vellody dished out 23 and 17 assists, respectively.

“Brooke (Ellingson) has been doing her job really well and she’s been a great leader on the court for the girls. They trust her to do her job and she’s been OK doing different things for us and taking on a different role. She really proved she belongs on the outside,” Kutzner said. “(Butera’s) confidence has grown. When she is having a great game, she continues to produce points for us. She’s been a really valuable part of our team.”

The Tigers dropped to 2-8. They’ve played one of the toughest schedules in the state with seven of their 10 games coming against 2025 state playoff teams. That list includes state finalists Merritt Island, Orangewood Christian and Lake Highland Prep.

Holy Trinity faces another 2025 state playoff team on Sept. 17 against Satellite.

“It’s tough to look at (the record), but we are making small progress during each game. It’s very small and it’s a work in progress. The strength of the schedule is really going to help us in the future and I feel like going to help us in the postseason where it really matters,” Kutzner said. “We’re seeing incremental growth during every game. We can see it in the stats and we can see it with our performance. If we keep growing like that, eventually we are going to turn this season into something different.”

The Mustangs won their first five-set match of the season, rallying from a 2-1 deficit to win their third straight match.

Merritt Island junior Lydia Scott spiked a team-high 28 kills to go with 18 digs. Junior Ema Michell also finished with a double-double of 19 kills and a team-high 24 digs. Senior Amber Ives finished with 28 assists and 14 digs. Senior Reece Loggins finished with 21 digs and senior Alyssa Passmore tallied 20 assists.

Merritt Island improved to 7-2 and it’ll compete in the two-day Tribe Tournament on Sept. 18-19.

Satellite extended its winning streak to seven matches with a sweep of Cocoa Beach. The Scorpions improved to 11-4 and they’ll head to Holy Trinity on Sept. 17. The Minutemen fell to 3-7 and they played at Eau Gallie on Sept. 16.

The Terriers avenged their early-season defeat to the Vipers with a comeback road victory to snap Space Coast’s eight-match winning streak.

Titusville improved to 4-4 and it’ll host Eau Gallie on Sept. 17. Space Coast fell to 8-2 and it’ll head to Melbourne on Sept. 17.

The Bulldogs swept the Red Wolves for their sixth straight win. They improved to 11-3 ahead of matches on Sept. 16 at Sebastian River and Sept. 17 versus Space Coast.

Edgewood falls to 4-6 after its fourth straight defeat. It’ll head to Jupiter Christian on Sept. 17.

Vero Beach tallied 36 kills and 14 aces in a sweep of the Hawks. Viera dropped to 10-4 and it’ll host New Smyrna Beach on Sept. 17.

The Wildcats defeated Odyssey Charter for the second time in 11 days to end a two-match losing streak. They improved to 3-6 and they’ll head to Heritage on Sept. 17.

The Titans dropped to 5-4 and they’ll host Master’s Academy (Vero Beach) on Sept. 17.

Florida Prep lost its second match in as many days to fall to 0-7. Its next game is on Sept. 18 versus Elite Prep Academy.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard HEAT middles shine in win over Holy Trinity