Merritt Island beach volleyball faced a familiar foe on Tuesday, May 5, in the Class 2A, Region 2 final in New Smyrna Beach, the reigning state runner-up.
Tuesday was the second meeting of the season with No. 2 seed New Smyrna Beach winning the regular season meeting 4-1 on March 11.
In front of its home fans, No. 1 seed Merritt Island flipped the result with a 3-2 victory to claim the regional title and punch its ticket to Tallahassee for the state semifinals.
“Super proud of them. They worked really hard,” Merritt Island head coach Angie Patrick said. “Just win their last game at home is just pretty sweet.”
The Barracudas won the first match of the duel 21-11, 21-18. On center court, senior Delaney Petit and junior Reece Loggins evened things up with a 3-set win.
Merritt Island carried that momentum, winning the next two matches to secure the regional title. Mustangs junior Sadie McClellan and sophomore Gena Walters won in straight sets 21-19, 21-15.
On center court, juniors Bella Becker and Amber Ives clinched the win with a 21-19, 21-13 sweep.
“The first 10 minutes or so, I was a little concerned because we seemed hesitant and nervous. I think we started to find our groove and then I felt better because they got this now,” Patrick said. “They were feeling more confident and moving better. I think just them turning that dial, flipping that switch and realizing what was on the line. Just seeing them go out and compete was a great thing.”
Petit/Loggins battled back to earn Merritt Island’s first win of the match. The No. 2 pair dropped the first set 16-21 before rallying to win 21-17, 15-13.
“I think just to get through each pass and talk to each other about hitting shots, where to go really helped us,” Petit said.
Merritt Island dropped three of its first seven matches of the season. Since then, the Mustangs have rattled off 13 consecutive wins to advance to the state semifinals.
They’ve achieved that with Petit as the lone senior on the squad.
“Since the beginning, we always came out here with 110 percent effort and always pushed to be successful,” Petit said.
Merritt Island last played in Tallahassee in 2024 when it was among the final 16 teams in the state. For the first time since the sport expanded to three classes, it’s among the last four teams standing in Class 2A.
“We went to state a couple years ago and lost in a region semifinal last year, which was very tough,” Petit said. “Coming out, being very strong and compete very hard against a team we lost earlier in the season to was very exciting. Everyone cheering and being excited for our team helped us a lot.”
The Mustangs compete in the Class 2A state semifinals on Friday, May 8, at Florida State University. A victory would propel them to the championship match on Saturday, May 9.
“Same thing that happened (Tuesday),” Patrick said. “We all got to come out ready and strong and not nervous, back on our heels and just have confidence. More than anything, I just want to enjoy this ride with them. I want them to enjoy it and know this is going to be a blast.”
New Smyrna Beach (15-6) 2
Merritt Island (17-3) 3
No. 1: Bella Becker/Amber Ives def. Teagan Lux/Bailey Jones (21-19, 21-13)
No. 2: Delaney Petit/Reece Loggins def. Unity Baker/Savannah Toler (16-21, 21-17, 15-13)
No. 3: Mollie Hale/Paige Taylor def. Whitney Wisniewski/Peyton Riordan (15-21, 21-11, 15-9)
No. 4: Jasmine Mahoney/Laila Parnell def. Khloe Horton/Lydia Scott (11-21, 18-21)
No. 5: Sadie McClellan/Gena Walters def. Della McLaughlin/Kate Collins (21-19, 21-15)
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Merritt Island beach volleyball claims regional title
Reporting by Sam Ficarro, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
