The Brevard HEAT battled Holy Trinity last night, grabbing their fourth win in five matches and pushing their season record to a stellar 9-2. This 3-1 victory, sealed with set scores of 27-25, 25-20, 18-25, and 25-19, was all about the Firehawks’ middle hitters, who absolutely dominated and were the difference maker against a Holy Trinity team looking for its third win of the season.
The Middle Attack Was Unstoppable
Coach Darrah Bowen was absolutely pumped about her middles, and for good reason! Junior Audrina Olsen was a force with 7 kills and 3 blocks. Senior Brooke Arce matched her with 7 kills and a block. Junior Brooklynn Elder chipped in 6 kills and another block. Bowen said these middles “really stepped up this season,” having “worked real hard to get them to be able to swing every time.” She also highlighted blocking improvements, mentioning “timing, our height, being together, talking” are finally “starting to come together.” It shows!
Hanley’s Leadership Is infectious
But it wasn’t just the middles carrying the load. Senior Aine Hanley was a total beast, pacing the attack with 8 kills and 2 aces. Hanley has seriously grown her game, becoming a full six-rotation player this offseason. She came into this match ranking second on the team in kills (62), aces (24), and digs (94). Hanley admitted the team started strong, “let it slide a little bit,” then “came back even harder,” especially in that “really good” last set. Beyond the stats, she was “most happy about is being a good teammate. Just being encouraging and talking loud.” That’s pure leadership. Junior Kara McCawley also crushed 6 kills and a block, while senior libero Haley Cowling dropped a team-high 6 aces. What a complete team effort!
Holy Trinity’s Struggles Continue
On the flip side, Holy Trinity is definitely in a rough patch, losing their third match in a row. They really hurt themselves with 18 attacking errors and 9 service errors, tough to overcome. Their coach, Kylie Kutzner, said it was “up and down,” and they’re “having some trouble sustaining the positive right now.” Despite dropping the first two sets, they showed serious fight in the third, jumping out to a 7-1 lead. Kutzner noted their “effort, the energy changed a lot” and the “trust within the team changed” in that set. If they can keep that fire, things might turn around. Senior Brooke Ellingson led the Tigers with a dozen kills and 5 digs, junior Elle Butera hit a career-high 11 kills, and senior Taylor Yochim added 10 kills and 3 blocks. They’ve got talent, but consistency is key.
So, what’s next for the red-hot Firehawks? They’re headed to the two-day Lake Howell Tournament on Sept. 18-19. Hanley’s confident, saying they’re “doing really well” and “able to push through hard teams like this.” She believes they’re “really proving that we’re one of the best teams in the county.” With the middles absolutely firing and a senior leader like Hanley rallying the squad, this Lake Howell Tournament is gonna be a massive test to see if the Brevard HEAT can keep proving they’re truly elite. Get ready, folks!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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