SEC-bound Lyla Huggins and Addyson Avery keep Trinity Catholic volleyball's expectations sky high

Trinity Catholic volleyball players Lyla Huggins and Addyson Avery left Adidas Nationals with a top five finish and still weren’t satisfied.

It’s natural for the FHSAA Class 2A state runners-up to feel that way. After all, competitiveness is something both will need when they join SEC powerhouse programs University of Florida and Mississippi State.

Lyla Huggins, a lifelong Florida fan, wasted no time committing to the Gators after they were one of the first schools to reach out to her on June 15th, the first day colleges can contact rising juniors. To be exact, Huggins received an interest email from the Gators on June 15 at 12:05 a.m.

Receiving an email from Florida volleyball came after years of attending camps put on by the Gators. UF’s coaching staff, with no interest in a new libero at the time, spotted Huggins at an elite camp and changed their minds.

Two days after their first conversation, Huggins made the verbal commitment she had dreamed of since childhood.

"It's always been a dream of mine since I was a little girl," Huggins said. "I've always been to camps there since I was little, and I've always thought about going there. And I don't know if it was an easy decision for me. I just prayed to God, and I made the decision with my family, and it kind of just fell into my path."

Trinity Catholic junior Lyla Huggins works on drills during Volleyball camp at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, FL on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. The season kicks off in the fall. [Alan Youngblood/Ocala Star-Banner]

Meanwhile, first-team all-county middle blocker Addyson Avery fielded more than 30 emails on June 15th. Mississippi State won Avery’s commitment over her father’s alma mater Northwestern, California Berkeley, Houston, Clemson and others.

In being set to go to Starkville, Miss., Avery follows in the footsteps of former Celtics volleyball standout McKenna Yates, a current member of the Bulldogs. The camaraderie started with Yates the minute she committed. Avery even borrowed a Mississippi State warm-up jersey for her commitment pictures.

"It was really nice when I asked her (Coach Julie Darty Dennis) questions about the campus and the program," Avery said. "It was all the things I was really looking for in a call, because I wasn't being super picky about anything… They were talking about the program, the team chemistry, the training, conditioning and nutrition. It was all stuff that sounded really amazing."

Avery and Huggins have the next two seasons to help Trinity Catholic and their club team, Ocala Power United, reach new heights before they join their college teams. As pivotal members of last year’s Final Four team, they both understand what it takes to get back to the biggest stage in Florida high school volleyball.

Then, after graduation, they'll see each other from the other side of the net for the first time in their athletic careers.

"We were talking about we'll see you on the other side," Huggins said. "Obviously we're going to compete, but we'll still have that friendship there. I'm really excited. I'd be super fun against one of my friends. So can't wait for that."

The rising juniors are the first players from a talented roster that Trinity Catholic head volleyball coach Jeff Reavis projects to have at least seven future college players. And it's that kind of expectation that has earned the Celtics a reputation as one of the best programs in the FHSAA's 2A classification.

“I’d like to say that those expectations don't change. I mean, from year to year, as you know, we have we've been talented, Reavis said. "To have a team that's nationally ranked every year from the City of Ocala, you know, is pretty incredible. Top five, Top 10 in the state, regardless of class, you know, that's something that's an expectation that the kids understand and it doesn't change."