Volleyball: Three takeaways from Legacy's four-set win at John Carroll

PORT ST. LUCIE — The John Carroll Catholic and Legacy High volleyball teams decided the District 13-5A championship in one of the most thrilling matches of the 2025 season.

Since the two teams are no longer in the same district, Thursday night's meeting marked their only matchup of the season. The rematch resembled the previous meeting, with the Lions celebrating on the Rams' home court once again.

Legacy cruised in the final two sets, using a pair of massive runs to secure a four-set victory. Set scores were 25-18, 23-25, 25-13 and 25-14 Thursday night at Howard Avril Court.

"I think we maybe lost sight of the little things in the second set. They won some 50-50 balls, and I think a lot of things didn't go our way, but what I was proud of was the way these girls responded," Lions head coach Christy Quigley said. "They didn't let the previous set bother them, and they came out and just played their game."

High school volleyball: John Carroll hosts Legacy

After narrowly dropping the second set, the visitors had their full arsenal on display to pull away. Quigley credited her team's serve-receive play as well as its improvement at the service line. The Lions finished with eight service aces, including three from Lyla Barker-Bray.

When the Rams stayed in system and put together attacks, Legacy tightened up its block and consistently turned them away. The Lions finished with 16 total blocks. Senior middle blocker Bailey Johanson led the way with 10 total blocks, including four of the solo variety.

Legacy used a 10-0 run to create separation in the third set and an 8-1 surge to do the same in the fourth. The Lions closed out the match with a 5-0 run, spearheaded by Johanson, who sealed the victory with three consecutive kills.

Johanson and senior outside hitter Taylor Smith each recorded a team-high 13 kills. Smith was one of five Lions with 10 or more digs and finished with a team-best 14. Senior setter Meredith Prince dished out 39 assists, one shy of her season high.

Improving to 5-0, Legacy joined Vero Beach (4-0) as the Treasure Coast's only unbeaten teams nearly three weeks into the 2026 season. Meanwhile, John Carroll (5-1) suffered its first loss.

"I think we learned about ourselves," Rams coach Dustin Wood said. "Give them credit, they exposed some things, but I don't think we played well at times. They were just a little more consistent, and our youth showed. We had three or four sophomores out there at a time, so our inexperience got us a little bit tonight."

Here are three takeaways from Thursday night.

The Lions made history in their debut season, winning the school's first district championship in any sport and advancing to the regional finals.

Many of the same players are back for 2026.

Johanson, Prince and Smith are team captains, while Barker-Bray returns after leading the team in kills a season ago. Other key returners include senior right-side hitter Sophia Spychalla, senior defensive specialist Kherington Neikirk and junior defensive specialist Paisley Woods.

"I feel like not a lot of teams have the chemistry that we do," Johanson said. "Knowing that you're able to trust the person next to you to do their job, while you're doing yours, definitely builds a strong connection and helps us win a lot of games that can be really difficult."

With the pieces back in place, Johanson believes the Lions can make a run at the state tournament. Quigley echoes those sentiments.

"We'd love to replicate what we did last year, but it's always good to have dreams and goals, to do what we couldn't do last year and get past that last loss," Quigley said. "That's kind of our focus, to get there again and, this time, be stronger and more prepared."

For all of its returners, Legacy has one addition that players and coaches believe could put the team over the top.

Jordyn Johnson joined the roster after playing for Lincoln Park Academy last season. The senior has already made an impact, both on and off the court.

"She's brought a lot of energy, and it sparks our team," Quigley said of Johnson.

For all of their success, the Lions felt the absence of another middle blocker alongside Johanson. The addition of Johnson has seemingly helped solve that issue, and the numbers back it up.

Legacy has averaged 8.1 blocks per match through its first five matches this season. That's up from 4.4 blocks per match in 2025.

"She has been such an amazing force in the middle," Johanson said. "She has great energy, a great attitude and can put a ball down when needed."

John Carroll seeks its third consecutive regional postseason appearance. The team hopes to do so under a new head coach.

Wood is in his first season as the Rams' head coach. He takes over for Bianca Maikranz, who stepped down after guiding the program from 2022-25.

A native of East Petersburg, Pennsylvania, Wood played collegiately at Ohio State and East Stroudsburg before transitioning into coaching, where he has spent most of his career at the collegiate level. He served as both an assistant and head coach with stops at East Stroudsburg, George Mason and, most recently, Georgia Southern, where he was the women's head volleyball coach from 2013-18.

Additionally, Wood has contributed to USA Volleyball, serving as head coach of the USA Boys Youth Select Continental Team.

Wood stepped away from coaching as his family grew. But he decided to return as his daughters began their volleyball careers. In addition to taking over the reins at John Carroll, Wood is the technical director at Vero Elite Volleyball Academy.

"It's one of those things where we just try to give back. I love the game," he said.

The new Rams head coach said his coaching style has not changed in the move to the prep level. He emphasizes relationships while developing his players and teaching the game.

After implementing several new systems, Wood has been pleased with how John Carroll has come together and is optimistic about where the team will be later in the season.

"We're not near where we're going to be at the end of the year. This loss is just a blemish, but we're good," he said.

Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at 772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.

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