Trinity Christian about more than football: Volleyball Conquerors chase FHSAA title

It's November, and Trinity Christian is two victories away from a Florida High School Athletic Association championship.

Business as usual, right?

Maybe not when it's Trinity Christian volleyball, now 25-3 and racing into its first-ever state semifinal against Miami Westminster Christian at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Trinity's nine-time FHSAA champion football team is long established near the top of Florida's gridiron scene. Now it's time for Conquerors volleyball, which swept Florida High last Tuesday after two previous regional final eliminations, to join them.

Not that Trinity's football players mind sharing some of the spotlight. Multiple football starters joined the packed house inside the gym to cheer on the volleyball squad during the region-clinching victory.

"We want to support them all day long, and they come and support us," head coach Emma Roberson said. "This is a huge family community, and I love being a part of it."

The Westside school is embracing the multi-sport excitement, scheduling a Monday pep rally ahead of the Conquerors' drive to Polk County.

"It's going to be a big deal now," junior outside hitter Mari King said. "Everyone's always talking about football, so now everyone's going to be talking about both football and volleyball this year. It's going to be fun."

MARI KING, ARIEL ROSS: TERRIFIC TANDEM

At the heart of Trinity's success is a setter-hitter combination of King and Ariel Ross, a pairing that goes back to fourth grade. By now, King says, she often knows exactly where the ball is going even before Ross begins her set.

"Usually before every point, when maybe the ball's coming over, we just make eye contact," King said.

King, committed to Marquette, is only 24 away from the magic 500-kill mark, rarely attained in Northeast Florida volleyball history, and she's achieved three seasons above 400 kills with a year to spare.

With 1,832 career kills going back to her sixth-grade year on varsity, she's likely to end her career as the area's all-time leader. Next in line is Kamara Kelly, who tallied 1,842 kills in five seasons at Providence from 2014 to 2018.

Ross is also in sky-high territory with her first 500-assist season, now up to 1,756 for the year.

"Over the years, we just keep working hard and we're believing in ourselves more and more every year," Ross said.

TRINITY SCORES WITH BALANCE

What makes Trinity so dangerous? As strong as their leading scorer is, she's far from the only option in an attack with big numbers and big team spirit.

"We have such good energy and determination," senior outside hitter Ali Haney said.

Ali Haney has 182 kills of her own, while sister Avery Haney has 214. Then there's Ross with 103, many of them well-timed dumps to catch opponents napping. Libero Taylor Teaman is a virtual vacuum cleaner on the defensive end, racking up 743 digs in the past two seasons on her way to college volleyball at West Florida.

And when it mattered most in the third set against Florida High, middle Taelyn Graham came through with a pair of decisive blocks to swing the momentum and lock down the victory.

"When you have such a diverse offense, it's really hard to stop," Roberson said. "If you slow Mari down, get the ball to Ali. If you slow Ali down, get the ball to Avery. We just have so many weapons, and then it's extremely frustrating for the other side to hit a ball and see Taylor Teaman get it almost every time."

CLEARING THE HURDLES

For Trinity, winning is nothing new. Advancing this far is.

"It's been right on the edge every single year, and now we've finally gotten over," Roberson said.

Roberson, who took over the program two years ago, has seen that growth close up. In 2020, Trinity lost its last four and missed the regionals. In 2021, they lost in the second round to Pensacola Catholic. Last year, the Conquerors qualified for the regional final before Ocala Trinity Catholic halted their run.

This time, they've already reached uncharted territory, and they've got a chance to play for a title if they can topple traditional volleyball juggernaut Westminster Christian. The Miami school, state champion in 2013 and 2016, began 27-0 last year before a final-four loss.

Can Trinity bring back a volleyball championship trophy to join the football collection? After 25 wins in 28 matches, they're more confident than ever.

"The biggest thing is composure," Roberson said. "Before, we were excited to win and hungry to win, but didn't always know that we were going to win. Now, we step out here and we know. If we're getting out of control, we can regain composure and we can finish."

Trinity Christian (25-3) vs. Miami Westminster Christian (23-8)

FHSAA Class 3A volleyball semifinal

10 a.m. Tuesday

Polk State College-Winter Haven Health Center

This is the deepest run ever for Trinity. On top of the power that's rocketed Mari King upward on the statistical list, they've got superb defense from Taylor Teaman and a quality setter combination in Ariel Ross and Mikayla Markham. But Westminster Christian is no easy foe: They'll field one of Florida's leading attackers in 6-2 sophomore Gigi Artiles (466 kills, .309 hitting percentage), in a lineup that also includes Zoey Matias (267 kills, 407 digs, .269 hitting percentage) and Alyssa Cadavid (801 assists). The winner would play for the title at 4 p.m. Thursday against Carrollwood Day or Lake Highland Prep.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Trinity Christian volleyball celebrates first FHSAA final four trip