The 2026 girls volleyball season officially got its first taste of competition Wednesday as Lake Buena Vista hosted the Viper Preseason Classic, giving Apopka and Wekiva an early opportunity to test themselves against unfamiliar opponents. 

The round robin featured 10 teams, each playing two matches. Apopka faced Lake Buena Vista and Windermere Prep, while Wekiva opened against Ocoee before taking on South Lake. 

For both local teams, the day provided a mix of strong moments, close battles and valuable experience before the regular season begins. 

Apopka 

The Blue Darters opened the day against host Lake Buena Vista and found themselves facing an eight-point deficit in the opening set. Apopka slowly chipped away, eventually turning the set into a back-and-forth battle. 

Down 14-6, sophomore middle blocker Kierra Taylor provided a spark with two kills, while junior outside hitter Victoria Polusmak added a kill following a lengthy rally. Freshman middle blocker Laila White then made her presence feltwith a block. 

Polusmak continued the comeback from the service line, helping Apopka close the gap. After another long rally that included another White block, Marie Hughes added a tip kill to make it 16-15. 

Taylor then came through with a block to tie the set at 17. 

The teams continued trading points until Apopka trailed 21-20. White delivered a big kill to make it 22-21 before Polusmak answered with a kill and an ace to tie the set and force a Lake Buena Vista timeout. 

Hughes followed with a kill to put Apopka ahead 24-23, and after the Vipers stayed alive, White came up with another block to help the Darters regain the advantage. 

Apopka eventually completed the comeback, with Taylor putting away a kill in the middle to win the opening set 27-25. 

The Darters couldn’t carry the momentum through the second set, falling 25-16 and forcing a deciding third set. 

Lake Buena Vista jumped ahead 5-0 in the final set, but Apopka again refused to go away. After a timeout, White answered with a kill before Hughes added a deep kill to cut the deficit to 5-4. 

Taylor later blocked a Lake Buena Vista attack to bring Apopka within one at 10-9, and she added another kill to make it 12-10. The Vipers, however, closed out the match with a 15-10 victory. 

Despite the loss, Apopka saw several strong individual performances. Isabel Romero distributed the ball effectively and finished with 25 assists. White made an immediate impact in her varsity debut at middle blocker with six kills and five blocks. Polusmak finished with six kills and four aces, while Hughes added seven kills. 

Apopka bounced back in its second match, sweeping Windermere Prep 25-10, 25-23. 

Freshman setter Kalissa Burske made her varsity debut and finished with two kills and seven assists. Emma Vincent also made an impact from the service line, recording five aces and a kill. 

The Darters also got a look at returning senior setter Taylor Cain, who recorded nine assists, a dump and an ace. Vincent added two more aces, while Hughes and Polusmak each contributed two kills. Taylor added another kill and block. 

Wekiva 

While Apopka was battling through a three-set thriller, Wekiva put together its own comeback against Ocoee. 

The Mustangs fell behind early before beginning to chip away at the deficit. After Ocoee extended its lead to 15-8, Junior middle hitter Avianna Mater took over from the service line. 

Mater helped Wekiva pull within 15-13 before recording an ace. The Mustangs continued applying pressure, forcing Ocoee into communication errors and tying the set, prompting a timeout. 

Mater stayed on serve and added another ace to give Wekiva a 17-15 advantage before Ocoee finally ended the run with a kill. 

Senior libero Mikayla Rivera added an ace to make it 19-16, and after Wekiva held a 21-19 lead, Senior outside hitter Elyanna Sanchez took over at the service line. Sanchez served out the set as the Mustangs closed it out 25-19. 

The second set remained competitive, but Wekiva pulled away late to complete the two-set victory, 25-18. 

The Mustangs then faced South Lake in their second match and battled throughout a close two-set loss. 

For both Apopka and Wekiva, the preseason classic provided an early look at where each team stands heading into the regular season. 

Wekiva will open its season at Edgewater, while Apopka begins on the road against Ocoee. Both matchups are Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 6:30 p.m.