Cocoa Beach's freshman volleyball team defeated Merritt Island 2-1 on October 14 at Merritt Island High School, marking their third straight win in non-conference play. The victory, which came in a tightly contested match, boosted Cocoa Beach's record to 3-0 while leaving Merritt Island at 2-4 on the season. The game, part of the early October schedule, drew a modest crowd of about 50 fans, mostly family members of players.
The Mustangs of Merritt Island took an early lead in the first set, winning 25-22. But Cocoa Beach's offense responded in the second set, rallying for a 25-20 win. The deciding third set was equally intense, with both teams trading points until Cocoa Beach closed out the match with a 25-23 victory. Merritt Island's coach, Sarah Lopez, said after the game that her team struggled with serve reception in the final set. 'We made some critical errors,' she said. 'But we're still young and have a lot to work on.'
Cocoa Beach's head coach, Mark Thompson, praised his team's resilience. 'They stayed focused even when we were down,' he said. 'This is a big win for us, but we know we have a lot of work to do before regionals.' The win came on the heels of a 3-0 sweep over Satellite High School the previous week. Merritt Island, which had previously lost to Palm Bay and Space Coast, will host Cocoa Beach again on October 28 in a rematch.
The game was the first of three scheduled matches between the two schools this season. Both teams are in the process of rebuilding their programs after losing several key players to graduation. The next matchup is expected to draw a larger crowd, with tickets already selling for the October 28 game.