Trinity Catholic advances to Region 3A-1 final, blanks Trinity Prep 3-0 in semifinal match

Trinity Catholic players celebrate a winning point on Trinity Prep during the regional semifinal at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, Fla. on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Trinity Catholic won the match 3 sets to 0. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.

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Posted November 2, 2021 | By James Blevins
james@ocalagazette.com

The visiting Trinity Prep Saints fought hard against Trinity Catholic Tuesday night in a Region 3A-1 semifinal match on Nov. 2, but the Celtics got the better end of the battle at home.

No. 2 seed Trinity Catholic won the highly-contested match in three-straight sets—25-17, 25-19 and 25-18—overcoming No. 6 seed Trinity Prep to advance to Saturday’s regional final.

The Celtics (23-4 overall record) will next travel to the panhandle to play the No. 1 seed Pensacola Catholic Crusaders on Nov. 6 at 2 p.m.

Trinity Catholic is only one win away from another Class 3A Final Four appearance. The Celtics won the 3A state title last season.

Pensacola Catholic (26-1) defeated the No. 4 seed Trinity Christian Academy 3-0 on Tuesday night to advance.

In the opening frame of Nov. 2’s semifinal match, the Celtics and Saints were trading points—and leads—left and right before any one team took the advantage, separating from the other.

Locked up at five points apiece, McKenna Yates would help Trinity Catholic jump ahead from the service line after teammates Delaney Baker, Kiana Laborde and Amelia Fitzpatrick added a string of kills, putting the Celtics up 11-6 in the first set.

Down 21-11, Trinity Prep would score six of the next eight points, narrowing the Celtics’ lead to 23-17, but back-to-back errors by the Crusaders would hand Trinity Catholic the first set 25-17.

Early in set two, the Celtics were firmly in control. Before Trinity Prep knew what was happening, it was down 8-3.

Fitzpatrick tallied two kills and two blocks early in the second set, giving her a total of six kills through two sets. She would add four more kills in set three.

Elayna Johnson had four kills and one blocked shot in the second frame.

The Crusaders would crawl back into the set though, briefly taking the lead 17-16 late in the set. But the Celtics would come roaring back, scoring nine of the next 11 points, regaining the lead and winning the set 25-19.

Baker racked up two key kills during the Celtics rally. Aariana Gravel-Holtzclaw had a timely and momentum-shifting blocked shot on the 23^rd point as well.

Set three would be Trinity Catholic on cruise control. The Celtics scored six of the first seven points with ease, putting the Crusaders in the hole immediately.

Trinity Prep would wake up, coming within three points, 8-5, before long, but Trinity Catholic wouldn’t let it get too close. The Celtics scored the next four points.

Down 21-13, the Crusaders would narrow things slightly, making it 24-17, but several self-inflicted errors caused by Trinity Prep would once again hand Trinity Catholic the set and the match, 25-18.

Trinity Catholic will meet Pensacola Catholic in the regional final at its gym in Pensacola this Saturday.

St. John Lutheran advances to Region 2A-3 final

The No. 2 seed St. John Lutheran Lady Saints’ volleyball team defeated No. 3 seed Victory Christian Academy 3-0 at home in a regional semifinal match on Nov. 2, advancing to the regional final.

The Saints (20-5 overall record)—who won the match 25-11, 27-25, 25-14—will next travel to Maitland to face the No. 1 seed Orangewood Christian Rams (20-9) in the Region 2A-3 final on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 2 p.m.