Trinity Catholic volleyball defeats Providence School 3-0, advances to Region 3A-1 semifinal

Trinity Catholic’s Amelia Fitzpatrick (0) and coach Jeff Reavis celebrate a point over Providence School near the end of the match during the regional quarterfinal at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, Fla. on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. Trinity Catholic won the match 3 sets to 0. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.

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Posted October 26, 2021 | By James Blevins
james@ocalagazette.com

The visiting Providence School Stallions gave Trinity Catholic a challenge Tuesday night in a Region 3A-1 quarterfinal match on Oct. 26, but the Celtics remained poised at home and took the win.

The No. 2 seed Trinity Catholic won in three-straight sets—25-19, 25-12 and 25-15—over the No. 7 seed Providence to advance to next week’s regional semifinal.

The Celtics will next host the winner of the quarterfinal match between No. 3 Montverde Academy and No. 6 Trinity Prep on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.

In the opening frame of Oct. 26’s quarterfinal match, the defending state champion Celtics got out to a quick lead, only to watch the Stallions slowly claw their way back into the set.

Down 14-6 in the first, Providence would score 10 of the next 15 points to narrow the score to 19-16. Seniors Josie Brooks and Ella Roberson would help lead this climb back for the Stallions from the service line.

Brooks had one ace, while Roberson would help force three-straight errors from the Celtics’ side of the court. Stallion Robinson Repass had two blocked shots and teammate Katelyn Baxley had a kill during the same 10-point series.

Junior Amelia Fitzpatrick would lead the Celtics reset from the service line, producing two points. Camden Crews would add an ace, followed by a Kiana Laborde kill, as Trinity Catholic put themselves back on top—despite a few more Repass points (a kill and a block)—taking the first set 25-19.

Early in set two, Trinity Catholic was dominant. Providence would get as close as three points down, 6-3, at one early point, but Trinity Catholic would stretch that three-point lead into six points in short order.

Laborde, who led all Celtics with 15 kills in the match, had five kills in the second set alone, helping to put her team up 14-6.

But the Stallions wouldn’t go away. Down 16-9, Providence would score three-straight points off a Repass kill and two Trinity Catholic errors to come within four points of the Celtics.

Not until senior Cayleigh Pelletier took over service did the Celtics once again regain control over the set. She would serve the next nine points, notching two aces, while Fitzpatrick and Laborde hammered home a couple of kill shots, closing out set two 25-12.

The Stallions would do in set three the one thing they had yet to do in the whole match: they would take the lead. Scoring the first two points, Providence looked like a different team for a little while. That is, before Trinity Catholic found its rhythm.

The Celtics tied the third set up at 4-4 behind Pelletier’s service and Laborde’s nearly unstoppable spike from the net. But Providence would regain its lead.

Up 8-5, the Stallions looked poised to stretch the game out by another set—a rare feat against the Celtics this season, who had a 21-4 overall record going into Tuesday night’s match, winning most of those games in straight sets.

Mckenna Yates would start Trinity Catholic’s comeback from the service line. Behind her and Fitzpatrick’s serve, the Celtics would score 10 of the next 11 points, putting themselves back on top 15-9.

Providence would fight back a little, getting as close as eight points behind, but Pelletier and Fitzpatrick would take over the set, punching the Celtics’ ticket to the next round of the state playoffs.

Fitzpatrick, who had a total of eight kills in the match, would accrue the final two points, scoring a blocked shot and a kill, wrapping the third set and the quarterfinal match up, 25-15.