WEST MELBOURNE — It’s never easy to beat a team multiple times in a single season, let alone four times. That’s what Brevard HEAT faced on Oct. 24 against Merritt Island Christian in the Class 1A, Region 2 semifinals.
The Firehawks entered with a 3-0 record against the Cougars. Last year, Brevard HEAT defeated St. Edward’s three times before falling to the Pirates in the regional final.
“That’s what I used because that game stung last year,” Brevard HEAT head coach Darrah Bowen said. “I was like that could be us. They could come and flip the script just like that.”
After a shaky start, Brevard HEAT settled into the match and took control in a 25-21, 25-14, 25-12 sweep to extend its season one more match.
“It was a great game,” Bowen said. “They came to play the first set and we pushed through that and we just rolled through the rest so it was fun.”
The attack struggled in the first set committing 10 errors, but Brevard HEAT leaned on its stingy defense. As a team, it recorded 91 digs for its third-highest total in a match this season and the most in a three-set match.
“We had a couple more hitting errors, a couple balls were going down,” Bowen said. “We had a new rotation because we’re missing a player for the next couple games, so there was some adjustments there but they learned, they were coachable and then we got adjusted.”
Cowling ended the match with a team-high 22 digs, providing a stabilizing force in the back row. The senior libero also received 21 serves to help set up a smooth attack.
“Just staying aggressive, helping them to spots of where to hit, where to swing and then just playing our game,” Cowling said.
Brevard HEAT leaned on its top two attackers in sophomore Charis Bennett and senior Aine Hanley. Bennett finished the match with 14 kills, seven digs and three blocks. Hanley posted a double-double of 10 kills and 10 digs to go with two aces.
Firehawks junior Kianne Amelunge dished out 17 assists to go with 14 digs. Senior Anna Livengood tallied 15 digs and eight assists.
“I thought it was good. We played pretty clean and we stuck together,” Cowling said. “It can be mentally challenging because you don’t want to slip up or anything, but I thought we did really well. We played our game and reduced the errors.”
Brevard HEAT will once again face St. Edward’s in the regional final on Oct. 27 for a berth into the state semifinals. The Firehawks will look to reverse their fortunes after dropping the first two meeting this season, losing in four sets on Aug. 28 and in straight sets in the district final on Oct. 15.
“(It’s time) to get that dog in us to beat St. Edward’s,” Cowling said. “They’re a tough team to beat. We have that dog in us to just go after it with no regrets then I think we can do it.”
Merritt Island Christian closed out its season on Oct. 24. After hanging in for the first set, the Cougars struggled to stay in system and defend in the final two sets.
“We played really hard,” Merritt Island Christian head coach Danielle Storevik said. “We have a lot of seniors, so there’s a lot of mixed emotions but they played their hearts out and never gave up and hustled and played with joy. I’m super proud of them.”
In set two, Brevard HEAT used a 6-0 run to take a 9-3 lead and never looked back. The smallest deficit the Cougars faced following the run was 13-8.
The third set was tied at 8-8 before an 8-1 run shifted the momentum right back to the Firehawks. Merritt Island Christian trimmed the deficit to 17-12, but it allowed an 8-0 run to end the match.
Seniors Emma Weilnau and Julia Rhodes led the team with six kills each. Senior Keri Shea and sophomore Maddyn Ganier recorded three kills.
“This is our fourth time this season and each time we’ve had injuries, we would have certain things and so we’ve mixed a bunch of things up,” Storevik said. “It’s kind of like a rivalry at this point and we both play each other so intensely that it’s just a lot of fun but it’s also hard with the track record we have this year.”
It was a remarkable turnaround for the Cougars. After going 4-17 last year, they finished this season 15-10 defeating International Community in the regional quarterfinals as the No. 6 seed.
“I think a lot of it has to do with just their eagerness to win this year,” Storevik said. “We worked a lot on culture and just working together as a team and building that team culture that fights for each other, that wants to win together and just has that never give up attitude. I think a lot of it is just the heart and the grit and just the courage they’ve had this season to just play together and have fun.”
The Cougars graduate six seniors in Weilnau, Sophie Gruber, Shea, Rhodes, Kiana Montecalvo and Brooklyn Bassett. Storevik credited the seniors for changing the culture.
“It’s going to be a big loss,” Storevik said. “They’re exceptional ladies and we’re going to miss them a lot, but they’ve left a true legacy for our program, for our school, for our team and I’m just excited to see what God has planned next for them in their lives. I just know that they’re going to be back to support their teammates that are going to continue on.”
Class 3A, Region 2
(1) Merritt Island def. (4) Lake Highland Prep 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 27-25)
For the second time this season, the Mustangs defeated Lake Highland Prep as they punched their ticket to a regional final for the seventh consecutive season.
Merritt Island juniors Lydia Scott, Gena Walters and Ema Michell finished with double-figure kills. Scott led the trio with 17 kills followed by Walters’ 13 kills and Michell’s 10 kills.
Mustangs senior Reece Loggins dug a team-high 15 balls. Senior Sadie McClellan tallied 13 digs.
Merritt Island hosts No. 2 seed Academy of the Holy Names on Oct. 27 looking to return to the state semifinals for the fourth time in the last six years.
Class 4A, Region 2
(2) Satellite def. (3) River Ridge 3-0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-14)
The Scorpions’ depth was able to outshine the River Ridge’s superstar duo in a sweep to advance to the regional final for the first time since 2021.
Satellite heads to Orlando to face top-seed Bishop Moore on Oct. 28. The Scorpions were swept by the Hornets in the season opener and they lost in four sets in the district final on Oct. 16.
Class 5A, Region 2
(4) Viera def. (1) Osceola 3-2 (16-25, 25-16, 25-23, 20-25, 15-10)
Viera pulled off the road upset of 2025 state semifinalist Osceola to advance to the regional final for the fifth time in the last six years. The Hawks overcame an early 4-1 deficit in the fifth set to pull off the win as junior Emery Hart posted a block on match point.
Viera moves on to face No. 2 seed Gateway in the regional final on Oct. 28.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard HEAT, Merritt Island, Satellite, Viera advance to region final