Merritt Island High School's beach volleyball team claimed its first regional title in program history on Tuesday, May 5, with a 3-2 victory over New Smyrna Beach in the Class 2A, Region 2 final at New Smyrna Beach. The win sends the No. 1 seed to the state semifinals in Tallahassee, marking the first time the Mustangs have advanced to the state tournament since 2019. "Super proud of them. They worked really hard," said head coach Angie Patrick. "Just winning their last game at home is pretty sweet." The Mustangs opened the match with a 21-11, 21-18 win in the first court, but New Smyrna Beach responded with a three-set victory by Delaney Petit and Reece Loggins to tie the match at 1-1. Merritt Island then won the next two matches to secure the title. Junior Sadie McClellan and sophomore Gena Walters defeated their opponents 21-19, 21-15 on center court, and juniors Bella Becker and Amber Ives closed out the match with a 21-19, 21-13 sweep. "The first 10 minutes or so, I was a little concerned because we seemed hesitant and nervous," Patrick said. "But they started to find their groove and I felt better because they got this now." Petit and Loggins, who dropped the first set 16-21, rallied to win their match 21-17, 15-13. "Just getting through each pass and talking to each other about hitting shots, where to go really helped us," Petit said. Merritt Island had lost three of its first seven matches this season but has since won 13 straight games, including Tuesday's regional final. The Mustangs will now face the winner of the Class 2A, Region 1 final in the state semifinals on May 14 at the University of Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.