“I think had we just come out and stayed on top the entire time, it would not have been productive as what happened tonight,” said head coach Lynn Burnett. “Tonight, this team, more specifically this upcoming group of freshmen, soon to be sophomores, learned that they can turn a match around even when it looks like it’s impossible and can actually make up a difference of six to eight points and close out a match or a set, get creative, stay positive and stay together. For me, it feels amazing, but it feels more so amazing because we did it from comeback position and we needed that.”
“Overall we finished in the end,” said freshman Guilia Rodrigues. “I don’t think that we did the best that we could have and felt we let down a little bit and lost the energy, which was sometimes very negative, but I’m glad that some people pushed it off and decided they realize that we need to do the best that we can and play our game because it’s our house and we have the ability to beat SPC because we beat them before, so I’m glad we were able to do so tonight.”
“I think the for the first set, SPC set it up for us,” said freshman Kaylee Forman. “I think Gracee did a really great job in that first set and I thought our blocking game came on in the end when we started running bigger plays that they couldn’t pick up. I had really good faith in Jazmin and Leilani running the quick balls.”
Set one was no problem for the Manatees as they were able to take advantage of a Titans serving error.
After the Titans claimed the second set, sophomore Leilani Wilcox-Nanai was able to seal it with a kill to the left side. The Titans, however, did not want to go without a fight as they were able to take the fourth and send to a fifth.
While Titans took a 11-3 lead, the Manatees started to fight back and eventually tied the set at 14-14. Two straight attack errors from the Titans were costly to them as the Manatees pulled away with the win.
Four players had double digit kills, while three players ended up with a double-double.
It was sophomore Lisa Jaunet that lead the way with a double-double 16 kills and 11 digs to go along with three aces and two blocks. Wilcox-Nanai was one dig shy of a double-double followed with 14 kills, one ace and nine digs.
Sophomore Bailey Sikkema added a double-double of her own with 13 kills and a career-high 18 digs, one ace and one block, while classmate Jazmin Spencer rounded out the order with a career-high 10 kills, five digs and two aces.
Forman (41 assists) and sophomore Gracee Carpino (11 assists) had a combined 52 assists. Forman was also the third Manatee with a double-double as she added 16 digs, one kill and one ace, while Carpino added four digs and a block.
“I think I did a good job mixing up the plays and working even when the pass is off running the quicker balls,” said Forman on her game. “I also thought I had very consistent serves throughout the game.”
“Gracee and Kaylee work really well together,” said Burnett on her setters. “We have spent this entire fall practice and competition season switching back-and-forth between the two of them, sometimes running a 6-2 or 5-1 and sometimes switching out a setter in the 5-1 position halfway through the set. Just like hitters have hot hands, your setters can have hot hands too, so I can usually pick it out before we even step foot and the first whistle blows who is going to be the hot hand tonight. Tonight was no difference, I knew it when Kaylee and Gracee were even just running the routes and working on their footwork and I could tell Kaylee was going to be the hotter hand tonight, but mad props for Gracee because she did a great job and has done a great job this entire season.”
“This match just happened to be Gracee needing to set the stage and then sit back and encourage Kaylee and her volleyball IQ is tremendous and so even when she’s not on the court, she’s still an asset in the huddles and I appreciate that about her.”
Rodrigues lead the way defensively with 25 kills and five assists.
“I think I played a good game,” said Rodrigues on her game. “I think that it’s very hard when you execute as a player that plays defense and sometimes it’s like the lack of effort for other players, so I feel overall that we started to realize that everything was there and just needed to be executed a little bit better. For me, I’m glad that I did my job and my role trying to communicate with my hitters while calling for anything that I could reach, so I’m proud of myself and the result we won the last conference match.”
Rodrigues returned to the lineup after missing the last two matchups due to a finger injury.
“It’s kind of hard with my hand and I can’t receive the ball properly because of it,” said Rodrigues on her return. “I feel like this is given me a better skill because its making me read the ball a little bit better, push back and take the ball with my platform. It was hard at first, but I got the hang of it. I love playing and I still try to do the best I can and push through it.”
“I’m a huge fan of Guilia,” said Burnette on Rodrigues. “She has a very calming presence and is very consistent. She did phenomenal. I’m proud to have her back and was a part of this tonight. She needed to be a part of this tonight from a confidence standpoint, from a experience standpoint and being to run the defense and backrow. SPC is a scrappy team and there was a lot of stuff that she had to pick up and make sure that her and her team were reading it and she did it well.”
Freshmen Adelene Jideofor (six kills and four blocks), Jadyn Wallen (four kills and five digs) and Jennifer Rivera (11 digs) also contributed in the match.
Notes:
With her 25 digs, Rodrigues was placed in the FCSAA 25 Dig Club for the second time this season.
Final Suncoast Standings:
1. FSW (16-4, 8-0)
2. Polk State (7-3, 6-2)
3. HCC (9-12, 4-4)
4. SCF (4-18, 2-6)
5. SPC (0-9, 0-8)
Up Next:
While Suncoast Conference play has officially ended, the season is not over for the Manatees as they have two final non-conference matchups. They will first travel to Avon Park to take on South Florida State College (7-4, 4-2 Sun Lakes) Tuesday night, March 16 at 6 pm before return to Hal Chasey Gymnasium to take on #1 national ranked Miami Dade (17-0, 9-0 Southern) Saturday, March 20 at noon.
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