"It was a definite adrenaline of spikes and releases," said head coach Lynn Burnett. "There were parts where we felt like we not going to be able to play and then did get to play and that was a whole lot to think about and take in. All in all, it was a really good experience because it gave the girls a required opportunity to refocus on what our goal was coming out there today and then grind it out, even with the distractions in the way. They came with a purpose and a message to send loud and clear to everyone."

 

"I think that our team really showed up and played really well," said sophomore Katie Keefe. "There's always going to be barriers when we play, but we stayed strong with resilience and didn't let any drama get to us. I'm happy with how everyone played and while South Florida State was good, we were able to shut them down."

 

"I thought the team played great," said freshman Kat Tallo. "We came out strong and guns blazing from hitting to serving to passing. It all combined to get us this fired up win today."

 

"I think we did a good job with winning in three sets," said freshman Aleksandra Wrobel. "Our serving was really consistent with a lot of aces and minimized attack errors. It was really nice to play in front of our home fans, even with some issues earlier before the match. Moving forward, we need to remain focused, be consistent and keep doing well on serve receive."

 

The first set was all Manatees offensively as Keefe and Tallo kept the pace going on serving with four aces combined to go with kills from Keefe and Wrobel. The Manatees would take the first set after freshman Teresa Briefeneder sealed it with a kill.

 

The second set still remained in Manatees favor after putting sophomore Amee Beedle came in for some serving action. While the Lady Panthers tried to put some points on the board, but a final kill from sophomore Caelan Cook would give the Manatees the second set

 

In the third final set, the Manatees got off to a shaky start being down 3-0 until a Wrobel kill put them on the board. The Lady Panthers continued to keep the lead, even with the Manatees tying the set a couple of time.

 

With the Lady Panthers up 10-7, the Manatees rallied together and were able to push themselves and take the lead before sophomore Shelby Pillow, who made her season debut, sealed the deal with a final kill for the win.

 

Keefe and Wrobel would lead the way offensively for the Manatees as they each had 10 kills. Keefe would secure her first collegiate double-double with 10 digs and four aces, while Wrobel had added two digs of her own.

 

"I felt good today," said Keefe. "It's a tough transition doing indoor volleyball in contrast to beach volleyball with a lot of work on the shoulder. It's really nice to have such a supportive team together with us gelling really well the last three weeks. Now with the improvements we've made,  we're performing how we wanted to perform."

 

"I was able to take advantage of their attacks and tool the block for a lot of points," said Wrobel. "The advice from the sideline really helped me find the the seams between the block and the defenders

 

In setting, the freshmen duo of Elise Bakken and Morgan McGuire lead the way. Bakken finished with 17 assists, five digs and three aces, while McGuire, who was one dig shy of a double-double finished with 11 assists, nine digs and two aces.

 

Apart from Keefe's four aces, Tallo also played a strong game on serving as she finished with four aces, one kill, four assists, three digs and one block.

 

"I felt great out there," said Tallo. "I'm glad I got to play with these girls on this new stage for an opportunity like this."

 

Pillow (two kills and one block), Beedle (two kills, one ace and five digs), Briefender (four kills, four digs and one block), sophomores Bailee Perry (three kills, two aces, one assist and five digs), Rachel Carroll (two assists and two digs) and Caelan Cook (five kills, one dig and two blocks) and freshman Alanna McCaughey (one ace) also contributed in the match.

 

Notes:

• The win at home was the first time since 2016 that the Manatees won their home opener.

Pasco Hernando State (3-2, 1-0 Sun Lakes South) shutout Palm Beach State (0-7, 0-1 Sun Lakes South) 3-0. The Bobcats will take on St. Pete (0-3, 0-1 Sun Lakes South) Wednesday night, September 6 at 6 pm. The Panthers will take on South Florida State Wednesday night, September 6 at 6 pm.

 

 

Sun Lakes Standings:

North - 

1. Pensacola State (9-1)

2. #3 Gulf Coast State (4-1)

3. Lake Sumter State (5-3)

4. #14 St. John's River State (7-4)

5. Florida State College at Jacksonville (0-0)

 

South - 

1. SCF (4-1, 1-0)

2. Pasco Hernando State (3-2, 1-0)

3. South Florida State College (1-1, 1-1)

4. St. Pete (0-3, 0-1)

5. Palm Beach State (0-7, 0-1)

 

Up Next:

The Manatees head back on the road for the next four matches as they will face Ave Maria University JV (September 4 at 12 pm), St. Pete (September 9 at 1 pm), Pasco Hernando State (September 13 at 6 pm) and Palm Beach State (September 16 at 3 pm).