Trinity Catholic volleyball seniors mix reflection with postseason aspirations

Two years ago, tears flowed down the face of six Trinity Catholic volleyball sophomores.

The Celticsadvanced all the way to Auburndale and the FHSAA Class 2A state championship – only to fall to Miami powerhouse Westminster Christian.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, especially for a program looking to win its third state title, but Lyla Huggins, Maggie O’Farrell, Isabella Rodriguez, Emily Reed, Addyson Avery and Ashlyn Hallick each took solace in the fact that so much time remained in their high school careers.

“I feel like when you’re younger, you don’t realize because you still have two more years, so you’re just not thinking that’s your last,”

Those six seniors have now reached the last go-around. The Celtics once again hold high aspirations

of a state title. They are the highest-ranked team in the Class 2A playoff bracket after Maitland-Orangewood Christian and Naples-First Baptist earned spots in the open division.

Trinity Catholic thought they would receive that chance last season, but reclassification put TC in the same region as Orangewood. Without the open division, the Rams steamrolled the Celtics to a region title.

“I think they kind of assumed they’d be back, and now they realize all of these things have to go their way, and they have to play good volleyball,” coach Jeff Reavis said.

A bond formed in childhood

The six seniors began to play together as 9-year-olds in the Celtics mini camps. They worked their way up through the TC volleyball factory and saw state championships won in 2018 and 2020. Those players left a blueprint to continue.

When each was asked what message they want to leave for the eight teammates who will return next season, they mentioned culture.

“I want the culture to stay the same because this team is definitely something special that a lot of other high school teams don’t get,” Emily Reed said. “I want to make sure everything within our culture stays the same because it’s truly a special experience.”

Part of what has made this a special experience is that closeness the six share. Ashlyn Hallick said that what she wants the underclassmen to see.

“Ocala is a really small town, and it’s very small volleyball-wise and all of us have played together since we were younger,” Hallick said. “I want them to maintain that closeness that we’ve had.”

Maggie O’Farrell said many people can view the togetherness as a negative. Why? Because you interact with the same people for nine years. However, the group looks at that as an honor.

Addyson Avery noted it gives the Celtics an advantage on the court.

“We’re kind of like sisters,” Avery said. “We trust each other on the court, and we know that each person is going to do their job.”

That on-court trust has led to massive success once again this season.

The Celtics enter Saturday’s region semifinal vs. Destin with a 22-5 mark. Those five losses came to open division foes Orangewood, Plant and Gulliver Prep, Class 4A’s top team Bishop Moore and Sunnyslope – a top 16 team in Arizona.

It’s also led to a bright future for most of them, and potentially all of them when everything is said and done. Huggins is going to Florida next year, Avery to Mississippi State, Reed to Appalachian State and O’Farrell to Columbia.

Mixing reflection with ambitions

This is the struggle of every senior athlete who plays on a team with championship goals. How does one relish every “last” while not getting weighed down by the moment?

Reavis said the team has handled it the right way.

“We can either think about that and be sad about how this is going to end, or we can embrace it and say every day is a chance to be with these people, and we’re going one day at a time,” Reavis said.

It’s a feeling another TC coach – AC Fitzpatrick – knows well. The Celtic and Florida volleyball alum joined her old coach in Reavis last season on staff after her career with the Gators ended.

Unique insight from AC Fitzpatrick

She’s offered valuable insight, with Reavis saying she acts almost like an older sister to the team. Fitzpatrick is close enough in age to get along with them, but old enough to be forceful when needed.

“Her voice carries weight. They all know,” Reavis said. “They get along with her well, but she also knows how to draw a line.”

Fitzpatrick hasn’t been afraid to mention a fact that scares every single senior. Each practice could be your last.

“One singular practice in the grand scheme of things doesn’t seem like a big deal, but when it’s do or die and you’re looking for a good postseason run, it’s everything,” Fitzpatrick said.

Only the Celtics can control how many more practices are left, and that begins Saturday vs. Destin. The match is set to begin at 2 p.m. from Ocala.

Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at [e-mail]. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1, Instagram @Ramreporter, Facebook Noah Ram - Reporter and TikTok @ramreporter.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Trinity Catholic volleyball seniors mix reflection with postseason aspirations