Merritt Island wins 5-set classic over Satellite in conference final

Merritt Island hosted Satellite on Sept. 23 for the Cape Coast Conference championship in search of its third consecutive title.

Satellite, who had won 10 of its last 12 matches since losing in four sets to Merritt Island on Sept. 1, fought back from two one-set deficits to send the title match to a decisive fifth set.

After falling behind 7-3, Merritt Island surged ahead with a 10-2 run and closed out the match to win 25-21, 16-25, 25-14, 25-27, 15-11.

"Very proud. They had to work for every single point. It was very emotional. A lot on the line, obviously," Merritt Island head coach Angie Patrick said. "It was the perfect setup for a championship because Satellite absolutely brought their A-game. It was just a battle. It was awesome, but I'm really proud of the way the girls came through in the fifth set."

Mustangs, Scorpions clash in conference volleyball finals

Merritt Island thought it had won the match in four sets, but the game-winning kill was called off by the referee on a violation. Satellite scored the next two points to send it to the fifth set.

The Mustangs overcame the fifth-set deficit and tied the match at 9-9 on a kill from junior Ema Michell. Merritt Island closed out the match on 2 kills from senior Bella Becker and 4 kills from junior Lydia Scott, including the final 3 Mustang points.

"That was really up and down. I think we just kind of came in knowing that they really wanted it. We knew that last game they played their hardest that second set," senior setter Amber Ives said. "They did the same. They took that from us, but I think we came out third set with the momentum. They took it from us fourth set. We were down. We fought back. Just high energy all around."

Ives orchestrated the Merritt Island attack and finished the night with a double-double of 67 assists and 25 digs. As one of eight seniors on the roster, Ives said the group was determined to not let the conference title slip away.

"I think we just wanted it so bad," Ives said. "We haven't dropped a Cape Coast Conference to them and we just trusted each other and just ran our stuff and we got it."

Scott and Michell put Merritt Island on their backs as the focal point of the attack. Scott spiked a career-high 29 kills to go with 14 digs, 2 aces and 1 block. She surpassed her previous career-high of 28 set on Sept. 15 in a five-set win at Bishop Moore.

Michell ended the match with 15 kills, 3 blocks and 1 ace. She also played a pivotal role in the back row defending the Satellite attack with 22 digs.

"You don't win games like that without those two. They just have done a great job for us," Patrick said. "It's hard when there's so much put on their shoulders. They're starting to really mature and handle that. Our team needs that."

Ives increased her assists season total to 403. The senior is close to surpassing last season's total of 479. After beginning the season in a 6-2 formation, Ives has been the primary setter in the new 5-1 formation in recent matches.

"I've come a long way. I've really worked on my tempo," Ives said. "We started running a 5-1 and the coaches really put a lot of trust in me with that. I just want to prove myself through that."

Merritt Island took home its 25th conference title in school history. Becker and junior Gena Walters finished with 10 and 8 kills, respectively. Sophomore Sadie Hesse tallied 4 kills.

The Mustangs improved to 13-3 and they'll host Titusville on Sept. 28. All three losses have come to teams in the top nine of the FHSAA rankings. The most recent coming in a three-set tournament defeat to North Broward Prep on Sept. 19 in a rematch of last year's state championship match.

"We just got to monitor our bodies and our health and take care of ourselves. Mentally, I think we're super dialed in. We're coming to practice and working hard.," Patrick said. "I'm really excited what's going to come. We're going to have a great PINK Tournament. We got a big game next with a region opponent, so we'll see how that goes and keep it rolling."

Since 2007, Satellite entered the match having lost 30 straight matches to Merritt Island. For the first time during that stretch, the Scorpions were able to push the Mustangs to five sets.

"I'm not into moral victories, but I'm into how my team plays. It's not judged by the score in every match. It's judged by our effort, our energy," Satellite head coach Daren Bolton said. "My bench, my JV, my freshman team, our fans, our team on the floor, they played inspired volleyball. Never laid down. We had the opportunity to quit, but we didn't quit."

After dropping the first set, Satellite broke a 12-12 tie in the second set with a 6-0 run and never looked back. The Scorpions forced the fifth set on a kill by sophomore Kenzie Little and an ace from senior Lily Ruda.

They built an early advantage in the fifth set on 4 kills from sophomore Harper Lanza, 1 kill from Ruda and an ace serve from junior Lily Sigety.

"We were better in all phases of the game, especially serving," Bolton said. "If we play like we did (tonight), we're going to have a long season."

Little and Lanza led the Scorpions with 17 and 16 kills, respectively, but other players stepped up and contributed. In the middle, senior Kirra Snyder and junior Macy Ferland combined for 7 kills and 6 blocks. Ruda tallied 3 aces to go with 2 kills. Sigety and Lanza split the setting while sophomore Cady Tinch dug balls all night in the back row.

"(Little and Lanza) played phenomenal, but it was our supporting cast. Our defense, our passing, our setting, our serving," Bolton said. "We could have had a few more blocks, turn a few touches into blocks and that might have been the difference, but when you're in a game against a good program like that, it's exciting."

Satellite dropped to 13-5 and it'll host Bayside on Sept. 28. Bolton said he hopes the team's performance instills more confidence heading into the final five matches of the season.

"We got some games that we got to take care of business," Bolton said. "We got to make sure our ranking is good enough so we can host districts and playoffs. We got a lot of business still to take care of. This isn't the finale by any means."

Third-place match: Viera def. Space Coast 3-2 (25-17, 14-25, 25-17, 22-25, 15-6)

Viera captured third place in a five-set win over Space Coast. Both teams traded every set with the Hawks prevailing 15-6 in the final set.

Viera improved to 12-5 and it'll head to the Kentucky Challenge on Sept. 25-26. Space Coast entered its Sept. 24 match versus Bayside with a 9-9 record.

Fifth-place match: Astronaut def. Melbourne 3-2 (19-25, 25-19, 26-24, 20-25, 15-11)

The War Eagles outperformed their seed by two spots to earn fifth place with a pair of road wins. They won their seventh match in the last eight to improve to 10-8. Astronaut's next match is versus Bayside on Sept. 29.

Melbourne sees its 10-match winning streak snapped as it lost its first match since Aug. 22. The Bulldogs drop to 14-4 and it'll host Satellite on Sept. 29.

Seventh-place match: Titusville def. Eau Gallie 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-22)

Titusville entered the conference tournament as the No. 8 seed and it'll finish in seventh following its second sweep of Eau Gallie in six days.

Terriers junior Ja'Dore Pratt finished with a team-high 11 kills and 5 blocks. Senior Hayden Thibert finished with 8 kills and 9 digs. Senior Elise Tueche posted 9 digs and 3 aces.

Titusville improved to 6-5 and it'll play at Merritt Island on Sept. 28. Eau Gallie enters its Sept. 24 match at Brevard HEAT with a 6-7 record.

Ninth-place match: Edgewood def. Rockledge 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-19)

After entering the conference tournament on a five-match losing streak, Edgewood wins back-to-back matches to place ninth.

Red Wolves senior Macy Ferguson spiked 13 kills and dug 8 balls. Sophomore Maya Ferguson and junior Kelsey Kennedy recorded 9 and 8 kills, respectively. Junior Adison Carter tallied 18 assists.

Edgewood moved to 6-7 entering its Sept. 24 match versus Merritt Island Christian. Rockledge dropped to 4-13 before its fourth match in four days on Sept. 24 against Holy Trinity.

13th-place match: Cocoa Beach def. Palm Bay 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-22)

Cocoa Beach finishes one spot higher than its seed following a sweep of the Pirates. The Minutemen improved to 5-9 and it'll head to the two-day Buffalo Stampede at The Villages Charter on Sept. 25-26. Palm Bay dropped to 6-7 and it'll head to Brevard Christian on Sept. 29.

15th-place match: Bayside def. Cocoa 3-0 (25-13, 25-6, 25-11)

Bayside swept Cocoa for the second time this season. The Bears entered their Sept. 24 match at Space Coast with a 5-8 record. They'll play at Odyssey Charter on Sept. 25 to close out the week.

Cocoa fell to 0-8 and it'll host Heritage on Sept. 30.