By Pat Clines
"The goal, even with a big confidence boost, was to give the girls an opportunity to run a 5-1 with each of our setters," said head coach Lynn Burnett. "I also wanted to give our starters a breather and rest up before our match with St. Pete. While there were some messy parts, overall the match went well. There are some spots we will work on from our attacking, but it was a good lesson for them to know that not all match are going to be easy."
"I think the team had our ups and down today," said sophomore Kloe Pinto. "Nevertheless, I'm super proud of everyone and how we bounced back so quickly because we were trying new things and adjusting to different plays and tempos. I think we did a great job keeping an open mind and trusting the process."
"Overall, despite us scrambling a lot and not playing the best, mainly in the second set while trying new lineups out, we got it together and brought home a win in four sets," said sophomore Caelan Cook. "Overall, we perceived and came together as a team and played as one."
The first set was all Manatees with a few modifications in the lineup as Pinto would earn the start as the libero. After some key kills from sophomore Shelby Pillow and freshman Charlotte Herman to push the Manatees, sophomore Amee Beedle would seal the first set with a kill.
In the second set, the Gyrenes would be the ones taking over despite a late rally by the Manatees. A final kill would tie the match a one apiece.
Heading into the third, the score would be in reverse as Cook would seal the third set with a kill to give the Manatees the lead.
In the fourth and final set, the Manatees did not want to let their focus go off the court as they managed to push for the win as Beedle sealed the deal with a final block for the win on the road.
Beedle and sophomore Isabella Rebimbas would be the leaders offensively as they finished with a season-high nine kills each. Beedle added 10 digs, one block and one ace, while Rebimbas added three digs.
Pillow, Herman and Cook would follow with seven kills each, while freshman Teresa Briefender rounded out the order with five kills. Pillow added two blocks (one solo), while Herman added an ace, two digs and one block, Cook added an ace and six digs and Briefeneder added an assist, two aces and a dig.
"I felt good being on the court," said Cook. "It was definitely a different feeling playing all the way around and with different people on the court. Nevertheless, I felt really good overall and it felt good to be playing outside and back row."
From the setting side, freshman Elise Bakken would lead the way with 20 assists, nine digs and a kill, while classmate Morgan McGuire secured her first collegiate double-double in assists and digs as she finished with 15 assists, 10 digs and one ace.
Defensively, apart from Beedle's double digit digs, Pinto lead the back row with six digs, two assists and two aces.
"I felt good out there today," said Pinto. "Not only did the energy from the court help me succeed, but also the huge amounts of support from my teammates helped too. I'm so happy I got the opportunity to play the sport that I love and I hope I get to do it again."
Sophomore Rachel Carroll (three digs) and freshmen Alanna McCaughey (one kill and one assist) and Kat Tallo (two kills, four assists, one ace, six digs and two blocks) also contributed in the match.
Sun Lakes Standings:
North -
1. Pensacola (9-1)
2. #3 Gulf Coast State (4-1)
3. #14 St. John's River State (7-4)
4. Lake Sumter State (5-3)
5. Florida State College at Jacksonville (0-0)
South -
1. SCF (5-1, 1-0)
2. Pasco Hernando (3-2, 1-0)
3. South Florida State (1-1, 1-1)
4. St. Pete (0-3, 0-1)
5. Palm Beach State (0-7, 0-1)
Upcoming Sun Lakes Matchups:
9/5/23 -
North Division
#14 St. John's River State vs Trinity Baptist College @ 2 pm
#14 St. John's River State vs Webber International @ 6 pm
Pensacola State vs Pearl River CC @ 5 pm
9/6/23 -
North Division
Pensacola State vs Northeast Mississippi CC @ 3 pm
Pensacola State vs Northwest Mississippi CC @ 5 pm
Florida State College at Jacksonville vs Lake Sumter State @ 6 pm
South Division
Palm Beach State vs South Florida State @ 6 pm
St. Pete College vs Pasco Hernando State @ 6 pm
9/8/23 -
North Division
Florida State College at Jacksonville vs Polk State @ 1:30 pm
Lake Sumter State vs Pensacola State @ 6 pm
Florida State College at Jacksonville vs #1 Florida Southwestern (NJCAA DI) @ 6:30 pm
#14 St. John's River State vs #3 Gulf Coast State @7 pm
South Division
Pasco Hernando State vs Andrew College @ 1 pm
9/9/23 -
North Division
Florida State College at Jacksonville vs #15 Daytona State College (NJCAA DI) @ 10 am
#14 St. John's River State vs Pensacola State @ 2 pm
Lake Sumter State vs #3 Gulf Coast State @ 2 pm
Florida State College at Jacksonville vs Hillsborough @ 3 pm
South Division
Pasco Hernando State vs Kansas City Kansas CC @ 12 pm
Pasco Hernando State vs Morton College @ 2 pm
9/10/23 -
North Division
#14 St. John's River State vs #6 Richard Bland College @ 10 am
South Division
Palm Beach State vs #6 Richard Bland College @ 12 pm
Crossover
#14 St. John's River State vs Palm Beach State @ 2 pm
Up Next:
The Manatees head back on the road for their matchup with St. Pete College (0-3, 0-1 Sun Lakes South) Saturday afternoon, September 9 at 1 pm. This match is a makeup from August 30.