It’s been the breakout season of Milena Racic’s head coaching tenure for the Meridian High School girls’ volleyball team, and there was only one thing that was missing: a playoff win.

Getting over that hump has eluded the Mustangs for the past several years, ever since the 2019 season. But on Monday night against Brentsville, they earned their 16th win of 2025 – and it was the biggest one.

Meridian fell behind early in the first set against their Northwestern District rivals, and stayed chasing Brentsville for most of its duration, trailing 17-13 and then again 20-17. Then, the Mustangs rallied to win it 25-22, and they never looked back. The second and third sets were never in doubt, with Meridian jumping out to early leads and maintaining their advantage as they won 25-18 and 25-16, respectively.

“It’s a big deal for us to finally get past the quarterfinals,” said Racic postgame. “We’ve gotten a little better every year and this year we’ve been able to take that next step. We’re excited to keep moving forward.”

The Mustangs, who improve to 16-6, will remain at home as they host William Monroe on tonight. Another win would give them their most in a season since 2012.