Even when the scoreboard started moving in the wrong direction, Nova Hewlett never lost confidence.
"It was really important for us, even after we lost points, to just keep our energy up and keep the smiles on our faces," she said.
Trinity Christian recaptured the momentum and held off a stubborn Episcopal 25-22, 25-16, 21-25, 25-21 to bring home the Florida High School Athletic Association District 2-2A volleyball trophy on Oct. 15.
Emma Hernesman, a member of the 2,000-assist club, set up Hewlett and hard-hitting middle Raelyn Williams for a flurry of points to turn around the fourth set after Episcopal (16-12) jumped out to a 9-5 lead.
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highlights to the Times-Union
![Episcopal's Breanna Smith (15) and Trinity Christian's Skylar Thien (17) challenge at the net during an FHSAA District 2-2A high school volleyball match on Oct. 15, 2026. [Clayton Freeman/Florida Times-Union]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2026/10/16/NFTU/92275099007-101526-tca-episcopal-1.JPG)
"We reset, we got going, and Nova really, really took it away," Trinity coach Emma Roberson said.
Bianca Brzezicka (23 kills), Vi Janikowski (45 assists) and Lacey Reed (26 digs) led Episcopal.
Trinity (22-6) receives an automatic bid for the regionals beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 21, with the FHSAA bracket release scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18.
DISTRICT 2-6A
Nina Simanic delivered a double-double with 18 kills and 19 digs, helping top seed Beachside sweep 25-15, 25-22, 25-11 over Creekside (16-11).
Mollie VanDeusen (16 assists, seven kills), Ana Simanic (20 assists) and Isabella Taveras Seda (18 digs) also starred for the Barracudas (24-3), who will learn Sunday whether they qualify for the FHSAA's inaugural Open Division.
DISTRICT 3-5A
Middleburg (16-11) won a thriller against Gainesville, 25-21, 25-17, 20-25, 23-25, 15-13. The Purple Hurricanes drop to 14-13.
DISTRICT 4-5A
Edie Joseph and Vivienne Woodbury bashed 12 kills apiece for Ponte Vedra, winning 25-23, 25-20, 25-20 against Fletcher (18-8).
Jenna Hahnemann supplied 33 assists and Brianna Rihlmann had 13 digs for the three-time state champion Sharks (17-4).
DISTRICT 3-4A
Top seed Yulee (16-7) rolled to a 25-21, 25-14, 25-13 sweep over Columbia. The Tigers end at 11-17.
DISTRICT 4-4A
Fleming Island brought an end to one of Northeast Florida's greatest runs, defeating Bishop Kenny 25-13, 22-25, 25-21, 25-14. The Crusaders (13-15) had won 29 consecutive district championships in volleyball.
The Golden Eagles (22-3) secure an automatic bid for regionals.
DISTRICT 3-3A
Gateway Conference champion Wolfson (19-6) overcame Bolles (14-10) for the second time ina month, winning 26-28, 25-20, 25-22, 27-25.
DISTRICT 2-1A
St. Johns Country Day (11-6) vs. Christ's Church (18-7)
DISTRICT 3-1A
Beaches Chapel (18-5) captured the district title 25-16, 25-22, 25-13 against Harvest Community (8-20), which had reached the Class 1A final four in 2025.
DISTRICT 6-R
Top seed Branford (26-2) avenged an early-season loss, winning 25-22, 19-25, 25-15, 25-12 against Union County (13-14).
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Volleyball: Trinity tops Episcopal, Fleming Island ends BK streak
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