Satellite settles down, sweeps Melbourne for 15th win this season

It was an energized environment at Melbourne High School on Sept. 29 as the Bulldogs hosted Satellite in the only meeting of the season.

After a strong start by Melbourne, Satellite settled into the match and dominated the rest of the way for a convincing sweep 25-18, 25-11, 25-7.

"It was good. It kind of went like we thought. We knew we had to take their best shot to start. They were going to be there motivated," Satellite head coach Daren Bolton said. "A lot of these girls are friends. A lot of them very familiar with each other, so we knew coming into the gym that we had to take control of the momentum and make sure that we kept it."

It was an emotional match for players on both sides squaring off against many friends. Scorpions junior Lily Sigety returned to Melbourne for the first time since transferring to Satellite after last school year.

Melbourne opened the match with an 8-3 lead when Bolton called timeout. The team responded with a 10-1 run midway through the opening set to flip a 12-9 deficit into a 19-13 lead.

The Scorpions scored the first 5 points of both sets two and three and never looked back. They finished the match with 42 kills and 11 aces.

"I think you can tell in the beginning there was a lot of emotion. I kind of expected it out of my team too. When I called the timeout, it was just to settle down," Bolton said. "Didn't tell them to do anything differently. Just take a deep breath, play the game like you know how to play the game and once we got settled in and did our game, we felt confident in our abilities."

Satellite sophomore Harper Lanza led the way with 13 kills, 2 aces and 1 block. In set one, Lanza spiked 3 consecutive kills to bring up set point. She clinched set two with a kill and a block on the final two points.

"It was really good. We played really consistent. I think I did all right," Lanza said. "Always can be better, always can improve, always can have more chemistry with the team and stuff like that but I think so far it's going pretty well."

Lanza entered the match second on the team in kills (140), second in assists (174) third in aces (24), fourth in blocks (23) and fifth in digs (119). After this match, Lanza set a new career high in kills surpassing her eighth-grade total of 147.

"I think it's been pretty good, especially in the way of connecting with my other setter and all my hitters," Lanza said. "I think it can definitely always improve, but I think it's going well."

In her first match back at Melbourne, Sigety finished with 7 kills and 4 aces. She served back-to-back aces to open the match. Sophomore Kenzie Little finished with 10 kills and 3 aces. Senior Lily Ruda spiked 7 kills.

"I think we tried to get her (Sigety) the ball as much as we could and she could make her own impression," Lanza said.

Scorpions sophomore Cady Tinch entered the match with a team-high 242 digs. Tinch, who served 2 aces on Sept. 29, will surpass her freshman digs total with three matches left in the regular season.

"The biggest thing that she (Tinch) brings is the leadership on the floor. She commands the floor," Bolton said. "You'll hear her call every ball calling out what she sees. She's not a sophomore. She plays like she's been the senior."

Satellite improved to 15-5 and it'll host Edgewood on Oct. 1 in its third match in four days. With districts two weeks away, Lanza said the team shares a belief in what they can achieve in the postseason.

"We're a very strong team and we can go against anybody. No matter the team, we can put up a fight," Lanza said. "Definitely trying to make as far as a run in the playoffs as we can and hopefully win districts."

It was a tough performance for Melbourne as it finished the night with just 17 kills and 5 aces as the Bulldogs struggled to side out against Satellite's dynamic attack.

"That was atrocious," Melbourne head coach Maira Thompson said. "Unfortunately, things come up. We had some medical issues on the team and when those players can't perform, we need other people to step up. It fell apart and it worse than I could have probably expected."

A bright spot for the Bulldogs was the play of senior Maiya Jackson. She led the team with 8 kills and 1 block.

"I think she's (Jackson) truly taking on a leadership role as a captain. One of the older ones on the team and just still showing up," Thompson said. "I think it's tough to be in her position. She's a competitor. When you try to motivate, it's hard to motivate at times and I think she's doing the best that she can."

Melbourne fell to 14-5 returns to the court on Oct. 6 at Vero Beach before ending the regular season on Oct. 8 versus Titusville. Thompson said it's time for the Bulldogs to turn up the intensity with districts rapidly approaching.

"I think we have promising moments and I think we have promising potential. I just think that sometimes we get to the end of the season and there's a little bit of feeling settled," Thompson said. "This is the time you have to turn it on. This is the most important time of the season. Unfortunately, we've shown a decrease in that excitement and that's the struggle for me."

Holy Trinity starts slow, battles back to defeat Space Coast 3-2

Holy Trinity def. Space Coast 3-2 (9-25, 26-24, 25-13, 22-25, 15-11)

After Space Coast defeated Holy Trinity in a reverse sweep on Sept. 1, the Tigers avenged that defeat with a five-set win of their own for their third-straight win overall.

Holy Trinity sophomore Stella Dawson led the team with 16 kills. Senior Brooke Ellingson and junior Elle Butera posted 15 and 11 kills, respectively, as sophomore setter Sam Smith finished with 48 assists. Tigers senior Gracin Borboroglu dug 33 balls and Ellingson finished with 24 digs to complete a double-double.

Holy Trinity played Eau Gallie on Sept. 30 with a 5-9 record. Space Coast dropped to 10-10 and it'll play at West Shore on Oct. 1.

Astronaut def. Bayside 3-0 (25-9, 25-6, 25-9)

The War Eagles won their eighth match in the last nine with a dominant sweep of Bayside. Astronaut improved to 11-8 and it'll host Titusville on Oct. 6.

The Bears faced Fort Pierce Westwood on Sept. 30 with a 5-12 record. They'll play their fourth match in four days on Oct. 1 versus Melbourne Central Catholic.

Brevard Christian def. Palm Bay 3-2 (25-27, 25-14, 22-25, 29-27, 17-15)

Palm Bay suffered its second defeat to Brevard Christian as it lost in five sets for the third time in the last two weeks. The Pirates dropped to 6-8 and they'll face Fort Pierce Westwood on Oct. 1.

Melbourne Central Catholic def. Merritt Island Christian 3-1 (25-20, 25-15, 22-25, 25-23)

The Hustlers snapped a two-match losing streak with a four-set road win over the Cougars. Melbourne Central Catholic improved to 8-9 ahead of its road match at Bayside on Oct. 1. Merritt Island Christian moved to 11-7 ahead of its Oct. 1 match at Pineapple Cove West Melbourne.

Odyssey Charter def. Pineapple Cove West Melbourne 3-1 (23-25, 25-13, 25-14, 25-19)

Odyssey Charter matched its win total from last season with its fourth straight win to move to 9-5. The Titans travel to Halifax Academy on Oct. 1. Pineapple Cove West Melbourne fell to 5-12 and it'll host Merritt Island Christian on Oct. 1.