Jupiter Christian volleyball eases into regionals with impressive first-round sweep

JUPITER -- Jupiter Christian girls volleyball coach Sarah Mize called it "a nice, soft opening into regionals week."

Dominating at the net, the Eagles won the first set in 13 minutes and coasted to a 25-8, 25-14, 25-13 victory over Pompano Beach-Highlands Christian in a Region 4-2A quarterfinal match Tuesday night.

Second-seeded Jupiter Christian (12-10) will host third-seeded Weston-Sagemont (17-8) in the semifinals Friday night. Sagemont defeated Lake Worth Christian in four sets.

Highlands Christian (16-10) could not match up against the taller, more talented Eagles. The Knights were able to hang around in the second set until it was tied at 14, but the Eagles ran off 11 consecutive points to finish off the set and reassert control.

"I feel like we started with a lot of energy, and then in the middle of the game that started to come down," senior libero Reese McNew said. "But we started talking more and we figured out a way to come back."

Here are three takeaways from the game.

No stopping Brodner

Sophomore Ella Brodner, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, put on a clinic for the Eagles, pounding the Knights into submission with a series of kills.

Ella's sister Sarah, a senior who plays for Jupiter High, is committed to Virginia. If Ella keeps playing as she did Tuesday night, she's certain to get her share of attention from colleges.

"She's such a talented athlete," Mize said. "She's so well-rounded, but she's the type of player you love to coach, because she never gets shut down. … She has that super-competitive innate nature that can't be taught, so she goes out hungry every play."

Brodner is completing her third season on the varsity.

"I love seeing her grow as a player," Mize said. "I've had her since she was in eighth grade and it's been pretty incredible to watch her growth each season. It's exciting that she's only a sophomore."

Brodner finished with 11 kills and six aces. Junior outside/middle hitter Lindsay Cox added 12 kills and senior middle hitter Kara Thompson had 18 assists.

Tough schedule pays off

After last season ended in a regional final loss, Mize decided to toughen up the 2023 schedule to better prepare the Eagles for the postseason.

How tough? Jupiter Christian's regular-season schedule was the most difficult in the state among Class 2A teams, according to the FHSAA/MaxPreps rankings. The Eagles faced Class 7A power Jupiter to open the season and also stepped up in class to face Fort Lauderdale-Westminster Academy, Benjamin and King's Academy. They also played two games against the state's top-ranked Class 2A team, Boca Raton Christian.

That strength of schedule enabled the Eagles to earn the region's No. 2 seed despite finishing barely over .500.

"If you want to be the best, you have to play the best," Mize said. "We took a harder schedule, but I know it was the right decision. After last season, I saw my team and I saw how much potential we had left, even at the end of the year. … So knowing what our goals were and what we're pushing toward, I thought there would be no harm in playing the best teams. You either sink or swim, right?

"Every game was a battle. Our record doesn't necessarily reflect our effort this season. We had five five-set games, and four of them ended in losses in that fifth set, but that always teaches you something."

Brodner agreed that the schedule made the Eagles more playoff-ready.

"Even though we were taking some big losses, it still felt good to be neck and neck with these teams," she said.

Aiming for Boca Christian

Coaches are always reluctant to look beyond the next game, but it's no secret that Jupiter Christian wants another shot at Boca Raton Christian, the region's No. 1 seed.

If the Eagles take care of business against Sagemont, they will likely face the Blazers (24-3) on Halloween night. That would be a rematch of last year's regional final, won by Boca Raton Christian in five sets.

"We definitely want another shot," McNew said. "I mean, it's regional finals, we've got to win this, let's go. I feel like we've just got to come out with a lot of energy and talk, and we've got it in the bag."

Added Brodner: "We definitely are going to come in hungry because we've been preparing for this like the whole entire year."

The Blazers have beaten the Eagles four times over the past two seasons. All but the regional final were shutouts. But Mize believes her team could be on the verge of a breakthrough.

"They're a good team," she said. "They have so much strength in their core group. But I know that we do, too. I know that we're very well-rounded; we don't rely so heavily on one or two players on our roster … I believe in these girls, I've seen them at their best, and I don't believe we've put our best forward against Boca Christian yet.

"It's a mentality, the championship mindset, and I believe if we bring that, we absolutely could take them."

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jupiter Christian volleyball eases into regionals with sweep