The Apopka Blue Darters carried energy from start to finish Thursday night, rolling past the Jones Fightin’ Tigers (2-10) on the road in straight sets (25-12, 25-17, 25-8). The victory marked a total team effort, with nearly every player contributing at the net or the service line. 

“I liked that the girls had fun,” head coach Brian Mater said. “It really does bring a lot of energy going into next week. I like to see the girls happy and having a good time.” 

Apopka (4-9) wasted no time taking control. Victoria Polusmak opened the first set with a perfect tip shot, then Taylor Cain went to work distributing. Cain’s quick sets freed up Polusmak, Marie Hughes, and Kiana Napier for kills that stretched the lead to 10-3.  

Sydney Bartkin fueled another surge with back-to-back aces, forcing a Jones timeout. The Blue Darters never looked back, with Cain capping the set on a tip kill before Madeline Sherrer finished it with a swing down the line. 

The second set tested Apopka’s composure. Jones hung close after an early ace from Lorelys Miranda and a block-kill combo from the Tigers’ front line gave them a 14-13 lead. After an injury timeout halted play, Apopka regrouped during a fiery huddle led by assistant coach Sarah Egbers.  

The pep talk sparked a 9-2 run capped by kills from Daylen Hilliman and Sherrer. The Blue Darters closed it out, 25-17, behind balanced scoring and sharper defense. 

“We got down a little bit, and I think we should have blown them out a little bit more,” Mater said. “We had a lot more errors again in the second set. You just can’t do that, especially as you get ready for districts.”  

Egbers’ mid-set timeout message proved to be the turning point.  

“I think they took it well and they came back strong in that set, then they just beat them 25 to 8,” Egbers said. “They went with what I told them and ran.” 

The Blue Darters dominated the third set from the opening serve. Polusmak went on a scorching 8-1 run at the line, racking up four aces. Every time Jones got a point, Apopka would come back with a storm of points.  

Sherrer added two more for herself in a game where she was seemingly everywhere, while Hughes chipped in a kill and an ace to stretch the lead to 21-4. Bartkin and Polusmak connected for the final kill to cap a 25-8 rout. 

Cain set the tone with 21 assists, two kills and steady leadership throughout the match. Napier led the way with nine kills, while Polusmak contributed six kills and four aces.  

Sherrer added five kills and four aces, Hughes had four kills and three aces, and Hilliman chipped in four kills and a block. Bella Swindel delivered four big kills in the second set after checking in, Ramos added 13 assists and two aces, and Bartkin finished with three aces. 

Mater said the biggest difference-maker was energy, something he hopes his team can carry forward. 

 “I think they find it within. They still look at MaxPreps, you know? They look at people’s records, and they kind of go up there and they feed off of that energy,” Mater said. “If they took that energy and just played everybody like they can beat anybody, they’d be unstoppable.” 

The Blue Darters (4-9) return home next week for back-to-back matches, looking to keep the momentum as the postseason approaches. They face Forest Lake Academy, at 7 p.m. Monday, followed by a district match against Seminole at 7 p.m. Tuesday.