Despite the experience Merritt Island High possesses, the first game of the new season always bring jitters.
On Aug. 18, Mustangs head coach Angie Patrick said she felt the team came out of the gates tentative.
“It was a little slow,” Patrick said. “It felt like we were trying to play safe and not make mistakes instead of just go out there and play our game. First road trip, first game, kind of chalk it up to that.”
However, Merritt Island settled into the match and swept Astronaut in the season opener 25-18, 25-16, 25-14.
The Mustangs deployed a new system with seniors Amber Ives, Alyssa Passmore and Reece Loggins playing as setter. The trio dished out at least 7 assists. Ives and Passmore finished in double figures with 17 and 11 assists, respectively. Loggins dug a team-high 15 balls.
“When we can distribute the ball, it really is an advantage,” Patrick said. “Right now we’re just kind of going through the growing pains and having a 6-2 (formation) and three setters and trying to find who’s connecting with who better. Once we get those connections going and we get the good ball control, I think it’s going to flow real nicely.”
The Mustangs’ balanced attack was spearheaded by junior outside hitter Ema Michell. She led the team with 17 kills on 28 attempts. The junior ended the night with a double-double thanks to 13 digs.
“(Today) was not the best, but it was our first away game and we were trying to get used to another gym and everything,” Michell said. “I think overall we can do better, but we got a win so it’s nice.”
Michell grew into a larger role last season. After 97 kills as a freshman, she recorded 192 kills last year as part of Merritt Island’s 29-3 campaign. Patrick praised Michell’s ability to make adjustments and her improvement as a back row player.
“I think mostly just my mentality and being smart on the court and everything, placing the ball not killing every time,” Michell said. “Definitely that’s the main thing and passing and serving.”
Mustangs junior Lydia Scott recorded 10 kills. Senior Bella Becker finished with 5 kills. Junior Peyton Riordan and sophomore Sadie Hesse spiked 4 and 3 kills, respectively, as the team finished with 41 kills and a .295 hit percentage.
Merritt Island, who plays its home opener Aug. 20 against Holy Trinity, fell one set shy of winning the state championship last year. Michell said the team’s been working hard to clear that final hurdle this fall.
“We all want it really bad, so I think just the mentality of go for every ball, treat every game like a state game and how we want to keep everyone together,” Michell said.
Astronaut fought valiantly against the district favorite, staying even with Merritt Island halfway the first two sets. However, Astronaut didn’t muster enough offense to finish those sets.
“I thought we played hard. I thought we competed. Merritt Island, definitely the powerhouse. We wanted to schedule them first just to kind of set the tone for who we are,” Astronaut head coach Diego Perez-Gaitan said. “We got some young kids on our team that this was there first day in the bright lights. It’s going to be a good learning (experience) to see where we’re at week one and where we’re going to go from here.”
The War Eagles played smothering defense out of the gates, jumping out to a 4-1 lead and was tied at 15-15. However, Merritt Island surged to the first set win with a 10-3 run.
Astronaut forced a Mustangs timeout at 11-11 in the second set after three consecutive aces served by sophomore Skylar Barnett. Merritt Island responded out of the timeout with a 7-0 run to pull away.
“We talked a lot about it this week. We know they’re going to hit some balls. They’re going to hit them hard and that’s OK,” Perez-Gaitan said. “Our defensive intensity was really good early and then it kind of slacked a little bit. It’s hard to stay in it when things aren’t going your way. We’re just working and trying to find the identity for who they are.”
Astronaut senior Lesleigh Amos led the attack with 6 kills and 1 ace. War Eagles freshman Mason Cairns blocked 3 shots for points and tallied 1 kill. Sophomore Charli Tipton recorded 4 kills.
The War Eagles return most of last year’s roster after a 20-win season and a trip to the Class 3A state playoffs.
“We played with no pressure. We were coming off a season that wasn’t so great and to come in and just say this way every game, 100% and see what happens. At this point, it’s a new season and it doesn’t matter anymore,” Perez-Gaitan said. “Everyone’s 0-0 and we got to go try to do it again because we’re not surprising people anymore. Now they know the work we’re doing. We got to play our best if we’re going to win these types of games.”
Astronaut searches for its next win Aug. 20 at Atlantic. While the team is confident entering 2026, Perez-Gaitan said he doesn’t want the team to be complacent.
“We’re looking forward to playing that team again late October in the district championship, potentially in the middle of the season conference. Let’s make the playoffs and see what happens,” Perez-Gaitan said. “What we build here is more about the experience. We want to win, but the experience of playing at Astronaut is something that these kids will remember for a long time.”
Scores around Brevard County
Timber Creek def. Cocoa 25-3, 25-7, 25-5
The Tigers suffered a road defeat in their first game of the season. Cocoa returns to the court Aug. 25 at Bayside.
Palm Bay def. Florida Prep 25-10, 25-12, 25-13
Palm Bay took care of business at home for its first season-opening win since 2021. The Pirates return to action on Aug. 20 at Brevard Christian. Florida Prep’s next game is Aug. 25 at home against Elite Prep Academy.
Calvary Chapel def. Bayside 25-18, 25-22, 12-25, 25-13
Calvary Chapel won its season opener behind 30 kills and 19 aces. Eagles senior Tanley Rehmer served 8 aces and spiked 7 kills. Fellow senior Natalia Carroll tallied a team-best 8 kills and 22 digs. Eagles junior Aislyn Murphy dished out 17 assists.
Calvary Chapel plays its first road game at Pineapple Cove West Melbourne on Aug. 20. Bayside hosts its home opener on Aug. 20 versus Space Coast.
Brevard HEAT def. Heritage 26-24, 25-20, 25-12
The Thunderbirds picked up their second win in as many days, sweeping Heritage on the road behind a balanced attack and stingy defense.
Brevard HEAT seniors Aine Hanley finished the match with 18 digs, 8 kills and 2 blocks. Senior Anna Livengood finished with 13 assists and 8 digs. Thunderbirds sophomore Charis Bennett led the team with 9 kills.
Brevard HEAT will look to finish the first week of the season 3-0 on Aug. 20 at Rockledge. Heritage heads to Vero Beach on Aug. 20.
Bishop Moore def. Satellite 25-17, 25-18, 25-21
In a matchup featuring teams who made it to the regional semifinals last year, Bishop Moore earned the sweep of Satellite.
The Scorpions face West Shore in its home opener on Aug. 20.
Edgewood def. West Shore 25-16, 25-14, 22-25, 25-20
Edgewood prevailed in its season opener for the third consecutive year after a four-set win over West Shore.
The Red Wolves host Holy Trinity on Aug. 19. West Shore remains on the road to face Satellite on Aug. 20.
Burns Sci-Tech def. Merritt Island Christian 29-27, 25-16, 25-18
Burns Sci-Tech spiked 26 kills and recorded a .319 hit percentage to defeat the Cougars in the season opener.
Merritt Island Christian competes in the two-day SSAA Invitational starting on Aug. 21.
Space Coast def. Rockledge 25-18, 25-17, 25-18
The Vipers bounced back from a season-opening defeat at Brevard HEAT on Aug. 17 with a home sweep of Rockledge.
Space Coast improved to 1-1 and it’ll play at Bayside on Aug. 20. Rockledge, who lost to Melbourne on Aug. 17, dropped to 0-2 and it’ll host Brevard HEAT on Aug. 20.
Viera def. Titusville 23-25, 25-15, 25-6, 25-13
The Hawks bounced back from dropping the first set to win the final three sets comfortable for a road win at Titusville. Senior Hayden Thibert led Titusville with 6 kills and senior Elise Tueche posted a team-high 12 digs.
Viera hosts Melbourne on Aug. 20 in its home opener. The Terriers host Melbourne Central Catholic on Aug. 20.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Merritt Island shakes early jitters, sweeps Astronaut in opener
Reporting by Sam Ficarro, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sam Ficarro, Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
