Sussex Academy volleyball wraps up historic season
Coming up just short of a Henlopen South title, the Sussex Academy volleyball team’s pursuit of the crown may have ended with a 3-0 loss, but it did lead to a program-high 11 wins.
The Seahawks welcomed the eventual champ, Lake Forest, into their house on Senior Night, heightening the feel of an already-emotional night Oct. 21.
A 25-11 victory in the first set was proof positive of the Spartans’ caliber, but a gritty Sussex Academy squad came back in the second set and showed what has led them to the most successful season in school history – resiliency.
Unfortunately, the girls’ bounce back came up short, as Lake took the second set 25-22 and the third and final set 25-17 to become the 2025 Henlopen South girls’ volleyball champions.
In her final regular-season match, Ellie Merrick recorded three kills and a team-high one block.
“I'm definitely gonna miss playing volleyball because I'm not gonna continue anywhere,” Merrick said before the epic season.
Senior Carolyn Reese picked up a dig in her last regular-season match, and her classmate Aleida Calloway tallied a kill in her regular-season finale. Junior Maya Hastings’ 10 aces and nine digs were team highs. Sophomore Jopie Smith led the Seahawks with 20 assists. Freshman Reagan Klahr tied three Spartans with a match-high two aces.
Sussex Academy has put together an 11-4 record to put on their resume for the tournament selection committee to look at. The Seahawks finished with a 7-4 record in the Henlopen Conference and a 5-2 record in the South. Their key wins came over a double-digit winning Sussex Central squad and a tough Red Lion team.
Aaron Mushrush joined the sports team in Summer 2023 to help cover the emerging youth athletics scene in the Cape Region. After lettering in soccer and lacrosse at Sussex Tech, he played lacrosse at Division III Eastern University in St. David's, PA. Aaron coached lacrosse at Sussex Tech in 2009 and 2011. Post-collegiately, Mush played in the Eastern Shore Summer Lacrosse League for Blue Bird Tavern and Saltwater Lacrosse. He competed in several tournaments for the Shamrocks Lacrosse Club, which blossomed into the Maryland Lacrosse League (MDLL). Aaron interned at the Coastal Point before becoming assistant director at WMDT-TV 47 ABC in 2017 and eventually assignment editor in 2018.
