Pirates Win Three Matches on the Road

The Pirates started their week off with three matches on the road in Mississippi. 

They kicked it off with a strong 3-0 sweep against the Pearl River Wildcats. 

The Wildcats came out the gate strong with a three point service run, but the Pirates turned right around and responded with five consecutive aces from sophomore, setter Kiara Vega. The Pirates stole the momentum and secured the first set 25-16. The Wildcats threw a big punch to start off the second set and held Pensacola State down with a six point deficit in the middle of the set. Pensacola continued to fight back one point at a time, and finished on top with a 25-21 set win. Pensacola State ran with momentum and closed the match in the third set 25-12. The Pirates held their own over the Wildcats with a total of 13 aces and 37 kills, hitting an average of .258. On the defensive side, Pensacola State brought a total of five blocks and 60 digs, spearheaded by freshman, libero Maddie Mire with 13 and sophomore, outside hitter Anyaliz Rodriguez with 12. 

The Pirates continued their road trip to Northwest Mississippi State for back-to-back matches against Northeast Mississippi State and the home team. 

Pensacola State dominated against the NEMS Tigers presenting a total of 10 blocks, 46 digs and six aces. Kiara Vega dished out 14 assists along with freshman, setter Madison Johnson bringing in 12 assists, to help their team hit an outstanding average of .448. The Pirates closed out their first match with a clean 3-0 sweep. 

Against the host team, PSC started the match off steady, winning the first two sets 25-14 and 25-18. Toward the end of the third set, the Rangers pushed back and stole the momentum from the Pirates, forcing a fourth set. The battle continued as both teams fought for each point, but the Pirates stayed the aggressor and closed the match with a final score of 25-18.

Pensacola State deflected the Rangers' offense with 78 digs, carried by Maddie Mire with 25 followed by the front row with 16 blocks. Freshman, right side hitter Cadence Goeden led offensively with a solid hitting average of .333 with 10 kills.  

The Pirates look forward to hosting their first two conference matches this weekend, where they will take on the Lake Sumter Hawks on Friday, September 8th and the St. Johns River State Vikings on Saturday, September 9th.