The Metro West volleyball tournament opened with a special twist Thursday afternoon as cross-town rivals Apopka and Wekiva squared off in the first round at Edgewater High School.  

The Blue Darters (3-7) prevailed 2–0 (25–15, 25–14) in the best-of-three format, advancing to face top-seeded Olympia later that evening. 

Beyond the scoreboard, the matchup carried a unique storyline. On one sideline stood Apopka head coach Brian Mater. Across the net, wearing Wekiva colors, was his daughter, junior outside hitter Avianna Mater. 

“She’s the one that gave me the passion to even jump in here and start coaching,” Mater said pregame. “To watch her on the other side is exciting, but it’s tough too, because I’m proud of my girls and I know she’s taking swings at them. But I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her giving me that passion.” 

Apopka jumped ahead quickly in the opening set behind senior setter Taylor Cain, who delivered five straight aces as part of a 9-1 run.  

The Mustangs (4-6) tried to answer with kills from Sarai McFadden and Avianna Mater off sets from Isabella Espada. Avianna Mater led Wekiva through the first set with four kills, but Apopka’s rotation was too strong.  

Kiana Napier and Marie Hughes combined for seven kills in the first set, while Daylen Hilliman added a block to finish the 25-15 set win. 

Wekiva opened the second set with a kill from Misha Mancilla, showing early fight. The Blue Darters would regain control quickly behind their leaders.  

Hilliman owned the net with three kills, two off of Wekiva’s volley. Cain rotated positions and tacked in a couple crafty kills to go up 13-6.  

Ramos and Cain distributed sets across the floor, and Sydney Bartkin chipped in back-to-back aces. Freshman Bella Swindel delivered late energy with a kill, then capped the match with another point off a Cain assist.  

Apopka sealed the 25–14 win and the best of three sweep. 

Statistically, Cain led Apopka with 6 kills, 14 assists, and 5 aces—all five aces coming in the first set. Hughes added 6 kills and an ace, Ramos finished with 8 assists and 2 aces, and Hilliman had 3 kills with a block. Napier chipped in 4 kills, while Madeline Sherrer and Brianna Young added timely points. 

Coach Mater credited his team’s composure and strong serving for the win. 

“We had energy. That was the main thing,” he said. “We didn’t have very many errors. We had a lot of aces in the first set, like six or seven. Anytime you do that, you already take the other team out of the game. They feel defeated.” 

He added that the Blue Darters will need to raise their level in the next round. 

“The girls played very smart, but they’re going to need a lot more energy going against Olympia the next round,” Mater said. 

The Mustangs were led by outside hitter Avianna Mater with six kills, while setter Espada finished with nine assists. Elyanna Sanchez added two aces and a kill, Mancilla tallied two kills, and Tiana Washington recorded the Mustangs’ only block. Playing through an injury, McFadden chipped in two kills. 

This was Wekiva’s third game day in a row.   

Coach Heather Lorenz said: “It’s not so much how many games we played. It’s more of our team unity and our communication right now. We’ve got to start working as one team, not as one person. And once we get through that, we’ll bounce back.” 

Wekiva will head back to league-play at home to take on the Ocoee Knights (7-2), Thursday at 7 p.m. 

Apopka advanced to the 2nd round to face Olympia (13-2).  

Olympia 2, Apopka 0 (25-15, 25-11) 

Apopka’s run in the Metro West Tournament came to an end in the second round as top-seeded Olympia won in straight sets (25-15, 25-11) at Edgewater High School.  

The two teams faced off earlier in the season, with the same result. The loss came just hours after the Blue Darters advanced past rival Wekiva in the opening round. 

In the first set, Apopka hung close early, answering every Olympia point with one of their own. Napier, Cain, and Hughes each chipped in kills to keep the score tight at 10-8.  

But behind strong setting from senior Madison Wehr and big swings from Julia Barry and Mia Diouf, Olympia ripped off a big run to go up 18-10. From there, the Titans’ depth was too strong, and they closed out the set 25-15. 

Olympia carried that momentum into the second set, storming out to an 8-2 lead behind Wehr’s crisp ball distribution and kills from Gabrielle Robinson.  

Despite hustle plays from libero Bartkin, who had a team-high six digs, Apopka struggled to find rhythm and trailed 22-11 before Robinson and Milana Holland sealed the set — and match — with consecutive blocks. 

Cain finished with 10 assists, two kills, and an ace for Apopka, while Hughes added three kills and three digs. Napier chipped in two kills and three digs, and Bartkin’s defensive effort kept rallies alive despite Olympia’s attack. 

For Olympia, Diouf led all players with seven kills and a block, Robinson tallied six kills and two blocks, and Wehr orchestrated the offense with 15 assists. Barry added four kills, and Eliza Perdue recorded an ace. 

Apopka head coach Brian Mater said he was encouraged by the early fight but stressed his team needs to play more aggressively. 

“You know, we were going point for point with them. That’s a tough team and to see us go point for point was good,” Mater said. “But once you lose that momentum with a team like that and you start making errors, they see the weak spot. They were killing us on the tips, and we left the donut open every single time. We kept asking the girls to cover it, but we just didn’t get it. The tips really killed us. We have to play aggressive, and for some reason we’re playing tip volleyball… it’s hurting us.” 

With the loss, Apopka exited the Metro West Tournament after splitting their two matches on the day. Olympia, meanwhile, advanced deeper into the bracket that night after defeating Windermere 2-0.  

The Blue Darters will head back to league-play when they head to Jones High School to face the Fightin’ Tigers (1-9), Thursday at 7 p.m.