Viera, Merritt Island volleyball teams look to win in regional final games Wednesday
Over the weekend, Merritt Island and Viera earned spots in regional final games after picking up wins the regional semifinals.
Merritt Island will go on the road to face Wesley Chapel just north of Tampa on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Hawks will host Oviedo on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Here are few things to know about each team ahead of the regional final games:
Viera Hawks
How they got here: The Hawks have put together impressive runs this season. They went on a 10-game winning streak in August, and currently are riding a seven-game win streak that started Oct.8.
That type of dominance earned Viera (20-5) the top seed in region 2-6A. In the first round of the playoffs, the Hawks swept South Lake in straight sets. They defeated Lakeland, 3-1, in the semifinals.
Who's next: Viera will face off against the No. 3 Oviedo Lions for a spot in the class 6A state semifinals.
Oviedo (15-11) defeated No.6 Lyman in the regional quarterfinals and took down the No.2 seed Horizon in straight sets.
Sophomore Anna Cathcart leads the Lions in kills with 293. The team has two players with over 40 aces in Olivia Klimis (47) and Paige Wisneski (43). Wisneski (448) and Klimis (384) are also the team's assist leaders.
Viera's Key Players: After the win over Lakeland, Viera coach Sarah Wayne praised Mak Carter, Mallory Merz, and Sydney Williams for their leadership.
Not only has Merz, Carter and Williams leadership been key for the Hawks all season, the things they do on the court has been just as important to the team's success.
Carter has a team-high 282 kills and 22 solo blocks, Williams has 160 kills and 14 solo blocks, and Merz has 610 assists and 31 aces.
Like the Lions, serving has been a bright spot for the Hawks as well. Junior Sophia Jones leads the team with 59 aces. Carter has landed 47 aces and Kasey Morgan has 40 aces.
Merritt Island Mustangs
How they got here: Last season, Merritt Island made it to the class 5A championship game but fell to Mosley after five sets. This season, Merritt Island (17-7) is just two wins away from reaching another championship game.
The Mustangs won the district 8-5A championship, then picked up regional wins over Lecanto in the first round and Cypress Creek in the semifinal, both in four sets.
Who's next: As the No.2 seed in region 2-5A, Merritt Island will go on the road to battle No. 1 Wesley Chapel (22-5).
Wesley Chapel got to the region final after defeating Fivay then Tavares in three sets.
Senior Jenna Ly is the team leaders in both assists (410) and aces (47). Chloe Danielson leads the team with 216 kills and 12 solo blocks.
Merritt Island's Key Players: Cassie Martin's big game for the Mustangs in the semifinal helped wheel them to the regional final. The senior finished the game with 23 kills, five block and 2 aces.
Martin leads the Mustangs in kills and solo blocks with 177 and 19 respectively. Right behind her in kills is sophomore Bella Schwantz with 170. Schwantz also has a team high 45 aces.
Maddie Johnson and Sarilyne Walley are two more players who have had a strong impact on Merritt Island's season to this point. Walley has 24 aces and 436 assists, while Johnson has 41 aces and 166 kills.
Expect for these four to be key players in the regional final match against Wesley Chapel.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard volleyball playoffs: Viera, Merritt Island set for region finals
