Wolfson volleyball freshmen show they're ready, end Gateway Conference drought

A rare senior on a Wolfson lineup filled with freshmen, Trinity Pearson is used to standing tall under pressure.

But down six set points, with a chance to bring home Wolfson volleyball's first Duval County trophy for a quarter-century? Maybe her heaviest pressure yet.

"It sounds funny, but I just kept telling myself, 'Don't miss,'" she said. "And then I didn't."

A young Wolfson squad with a come-from-behind spirit brought home its first Gateway Conference volleyball championship during its players' lifetimes, overcoming top-seeded Fletcher 22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 28-26 on Oct. 9 in Neptune Beach in the annual tournament for Duval County public high schools.

For Wolfson (16-1), it's the first Gateway volleyball trophy since 2001, and the school's first Gateway trophy in any major team ball sport since boys basketball in 2008-09.

Taking down opponents like Fletcher (22-3) on the road is supposed to be next to impossible when down six set points. Or when fielding seven freshmen. But for the Wolfpack, it's becoming par for the course.

"Truly, I have no idea how they pull it through every game," Wolfson coach Brianna Kerley said, "but they do."

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FANTASTIC FRESHMAN CLASS

Highlight after Wolfson highlight, the chant resounds around the gym: "She's a freshman!"

The question for the Wolfpack: Which one?

Not only does the class of 2029 account for half of Wolfson's 14-player roster, but many of them occupy crucial roles: Carter Rowell at setter, Monica Mina at libero and Averie Porter and Bethany Stephens down the middle or at right side.

Pearson, one of only two seniors on the roster, said she initially didn't know what to expect from a lineup filled with newcomers.

"At the beginning, it was definitely a little rocky and I was like, 'I don't know how this is going to go,'" Pearson said. "Then toward the middle [of the season], I think we just realized that we just have a winning game."

For Wolfson, which is currently in line for a top-four seed in Florida High School Athletic Association regionals and has lost only to Harvest Community, the key to success has been the players' resilience in bouncing back quickly to learn from mistakes.

"I think that's the biggest thing with my freshmen coming in," Kerley said. "My returners already know that, so they're kind of pouring that in the same way."

WOLFPACK FIGHT BACK

Resilience came through for Wolfson on Thursday. Down early against the Senators, with 2,000-assist senior setter Keely Pou and the down-the-middle presence of Livia Causse-Chacon and Riley Bridda, the Wolfpack clawed back.

Stephens and sophomore Mae Abernathy delivered a flurry of crucial kills to win the second and third, and in the fourth, Wolfson faced six set points with a 24-18 deficit before Pearson began scoring point after point from the serve.

At 26-26, Stephens pushed the Wolfpack in front, and Abernathy delivered the deciding point with a well-aimed poke that cleared the Senators and dipped inside the line.

"I was just watching it like, 'Please go in! Please go in!'" Abernathy said. "So happy it did."

After surviving those six set points, Wolfson is now ready for a new set of challenges in FHSAA District 4-3A, where Bolles and Episcopal are among the opponents. The Wolfpack made a confidence-boosting statement on Sept. 25, when they defeated Bolles in five sets.

"We're meshing beautifully as a team," Abernathy said. "It's only up from here, because everybody here is so young."

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Wolfson High School volleyball wins Gateway Conference championship