The Apopka Blue Darters left little doubt Tuesday night, putting together their most complete performance of the season in a 3-0 sweep of the Freedom Patriots (25-17, 25-23, 25-20). The win showcased balance across the lineup, cleaner execution, and a sense of urgency that the team believes can carry them into a strong stretch of matches. 

From the opening set, Apopka’s front row dictated play. Seniors Daylen Hilliman and Brianna Young combined for early kills and blocks that helped the Blue Darters control the first set from start to finish. Sydney Bartkin punctuated the 25-17 opening win with a perfectly placed ace, and Apopka never trailed. 

“I think what was working for us was bringing what we had in practice here onto the court,” Hilliman said. “We were doing a lot of tipping drills yesterday, and we brought it here, and I think that was really helping the score. This game is most definitely going to drive some momentum moving forward.” 

The second set tested Apopka’s composure. After Hilliman sparked a quick 10-5 lead, Freedom pushed back with a four-point run, forcing a timeout. From there, the set turned into a rally-heavy battle. Brianna Young came through with a crucial kill to break a deadlocked volley that had every person in the gym standing.  

Not long after, Kiana Napier brought the traveling Apopka crowd to life with a thunderous spike to extend the lead 23-17. Freedom trimmed the margin to a nerve-wracking 24-23, but Napier delivered again, sealing the set 25-23 with a line shot to the left corner. 

Setter Taylor Cain’s steady hands were there all night. She finished with 19 assists and 5 aces, distributing the ball with precision while also exploiting Freedom’s vulnerabilities from the service line. 

“Definitely setting the outside, and moving the ball around,” Cain said. “Instead of setting the same person, we mixed it around so we could get the other team out of position. And for the serving, they were out of rotation a lot, so just serving really quickly would get them out of position. That worked.” 

Cain said the team’s decision to add an extra Friday practice made a difference.  

“When we played against Lake Buena Vista, we noticed we haven’t been doing a lot of things that we’ve got to be doing,” she said. “I think the extra practice is really gonna help us work on the things that we need to fix.” 

The third set followed a familiar script, with Apopka taking command early. Bartkin and Cain fueled two long 4 point runs from the service line to help extend the lead all the way to 19-8. Madeline Sherrer added a key block, and Cain ripped off three straight aces as the Blue Darters looked ready to coast. But Freedom answered with a surge of their own, trimming the deficit to 20-16 and forcing an Apopka timeout. 

Out of the break, Cain and Sherrer quickly reestablished control with back-to-back kills before Young hammered home the final point to close out the 25-20 win and the sweep. 

By the end of the night, Apopka’s balanced stat sheet reflected its all-around effort. Young led with 7 kills and a block, Hilliman and Sherrer each posted 6 kills and 3 blocks, Hughes added 6 kills and 3 aces, Napier chipped in 5 kills, and Bartkin served 4 aces. Cain and Olivia Ramos combined for 27 assists to keep the offense flowing. 

Head coach Brian Mater credited the win not only to execution but also to the team’s mindset.  

“I think it built our confidence back. But I’ve got to give it to Freedom, they came back scrappy,” Mater said. “I’m really proud of the girls. After yesterday’s practice, they’re starting to utilize everything we worked on. They were happier today, even arriving on time, and it was just a really good time.” 

Before the match, Mater had mentioned he saw a turn in the team’s mentality after the last loss. They regrouped and discussed working harder and started an initiative to have practice on Friday, no matter what. 

“This was the player’s decision,” Mater said. “We gave them the option, and they said, ‘Coach, we decided we want to play on Friday and make it mandatory.’ That tells you the dedication and leadership of this team. These girls are really special. They can go a long way — we just have to trust the process and limit our errors, and I saw signs of that tonight.” 

Apopka improved to 2-4 with the victory, while Freedom dropped to 0-6.  

The Blue Darters look to build off this win and gain some momentum on Tuesday, when they stay on the road at Boone High School at 7 p.m.