Volleyball Opens Conference Play With Two Wins

Volleyball hit the road this past weekend to kickoff conference play against three Sun-Lakes opponents. The first stop was in Leesburg, Florida on Friday to take on Lake-Sumter State College. 

The team started off hot in the first set, crushing the Lakehawks 25-13. Lake-Sumter pushed back and secured the second set 23-25. The Pirates came back to life and notched their first conference victory in sets three and four (25-14, 25-17). Freshman, outside hitter Catie Woolf earned a double-double in the match, tallying 15 kills and 13 digs. Sophomore, middle blocker Riley Carter was an offensive threat with 10 kills hitting an average of .389. Setters, Brunna Marinari and Lauren Schuessler led the offense, as each of them earned 22 assists. The Pirates kept the ball off the floor against the Lakehawks; Maddie Mire made 20 digs, while Schuessler tallied 11 and Marinari 10.  

On Saturday, the Pirates made their way to Palatka, Florida for their second conference opponent, St. Johns River State College.  

Pensacola State took the first set 25-19, but the Vikings switched it on in set two, giving PSC no choice but to fight the entire match. Unable to maintain the momentum, the Pirates struggled to stop St. Johns from climbing. The Vikings took the win in four sets (25-19, 19-25, 17-25, 20-25). 

After splitting Friday and Saturday, the team made a choice to respond in their match against Florida State College at Jacksonville.  

The Pirates stepped on the court and took care of business by finishing the match against the Manta Rays in three sets (25-23, 25-17, 25-12). Pensacola's offense was led by Woolf with 10 kills while hitting .400. Freshman, middle blocker Danielle Lee also made a statement at the net bringing nine kills and hitting a .412. Leading the offense was sophomore setter Jazmine Srun with 18 assists and Brunna Marinari with 13. Mire showed out on defense, tallying 20 digs in the match. 

Volleyball returns to their home court this weekend for three matches. The Pirates face St. Petersburg College on Friday at 1:00 p.m. in their teacher and staff appreciation match. Saturday's match will be against the State College of Florida at 1:00 p.m. The Pirates will close out the weekend on Sunday with their annual Berry Strong match against Pasco Hernando College at 12:00 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear yellow to the match in support of the fight against childhood cancer.