Bradenton, Fla - The SCF volleyball team (0-1) had two strong outings in the first two sets, but were unable to finish as they fell to St. John's River State (2-0) 3-0 (26-28, 24-26, 20-25) in their season/home opener. With the loss, the Manatees are now 3-3 against the Vikings.
"The team did show about 10% of their potential," said head coach Lynn Burnett. "It felt good to open at home, but unfortunately we were suppose to have two scrimmages yesterday, which was suppose to be our opener and we've been preparing for that for months and months and then literally all of those rugs got pulled out from underneath us. We had to put this together in less than 12 hours at the last minutes, so that was difficult on the coaching staff and players and it creates a lot of chaos, so what we learned was we can't let that chaos come onto the court and create more chaos on the court. We have to control the controllable and then eliminate the rest of it."
"Compared to yesterday, we came together as a team today more," said sophomore Giulia Rodrigues. "We brought more energy and I felt there was more trust on the court in terms of who got what to cover and intensity. We were being more aggressive, so I felt like today was just the start and we needed the game to get rid of all the nerves and to start fresh for the next upcoming games."
"Today was good because it was exciting to play," said redshirt sophomore Jazmin Spencer. "It could have gone a lot better because we should have closed out the match, but the good is this match will help us see what we need to work on during practice so we can get better and stronger with a lot more unity."
Prior to the game, I was given the opportunity to sing the national anthem and the team loved it. Unfortunately, I was not able to film it.
The Manatees got off to the good start in the first and second sets and it ended up being a battle for it, but ultimately the Vikings were able to take advantage of several miscommunication errors on the Manatees to claim the sets. In the third set, the Manatees tried to mount a comeback, but it was to no avail as the Vikings sealed the deal.
Freshman Anllelvis Caballero Fernandez lead the Manatees offensively as she finished with 14 kills, five digs and a block, while sophomore Jazmin Spencer followed with a double-double of 11 kills and 10 digs to go along with three aces, a block and an assist. It was Spencer's first double-double of the season and second in her career. Sophomore Jadyn Wallen rounded out with seven kills and eight digs
"I think my game was pretty decent," said Spencer on her game. "I probably could have done a little better defensively and those are some things I can work on during practice. From my hitting perspective, I need to work on my arm swing, but overall I felt pretty good out there."
"I think I need to work better at knowing where my open spots are more and communicate with my setter," said Wallen on her game. "I thought my defense was really good today and I think my serving was a lot more agressive too."
Sophomores Kaylee Forman and Lison Stoffel had 22 and 13 assists respectively. Forman also added an ace and two digs, while Stoffel, who was two dig shy of a double-double, added eight digs, an ace and a kill. Classmate Guilia Rodrigues was one dig shy of a double digit digs as she ended up with nine digs, two aces, one assist and a kill.
"I think I played well," said Rodrigues. "Always, for me as a player, I can finish every game and improve to just keep getting better and better on the things I made mistakes on. I want to improve and be the best player I can be on and off the court. I can take in all the little techniques and adjust so I can get better and better."
Sophomores Kaysha Kahai-Enos (two kills, one ace and two digs) and Adelene Jideofor (three kills, three digs and a block) also contributed in the game.
Sophomore Rickie Sheets lead the Vikings offensively with a double-double of 12 kills and 10 digs, while freshman Kendall Hatchett followed with 10 kills and seven digs. Freshmen Mona Gordon and Julianne Lindsey had 18 and 12 assists respectively, while sophomore Dariana Luna had 12 digs.
Notes:
This was the debuts of Caballero Fernandez and Stoffel. In fact, they were the only two newcomers that played in the first match. Caballero Fernandez has been with the team for a week after traveling from Spain, while Stoffel joined the team after transferring from Independence Community College in Independence, Kansas.
"I was very nervous coming in," said Caballero Fernandez on her debut. "But I was very excited at the same time with high hopes and expectations.
"We had three weeks to prepare and one week with Anllel, so it was good to have them both on the court to make their debuts," said Burnett on Caballero Fernandez and Stoffel's debut.
This is the first time that fans were allowed to attend the match. Additionally, it was the first time since 2016 that the Manatees opened the season at home.
"It was amazing," said Rodrigues. "Last year, we didn't have any fans and now we have fans, bleachers up and chairs out, so the atmosphere was completely different. I enjoyed playing with people watching because there's a little bit more motivation there, so I'm very happy we were able to open the season at home."
"Having fans back did effect the team," said Burnett on having fans back. "It added to the nerves that they were feeling and I'm glad we were able to do this at home first and have that experience so we can able to have them hype us up the next home match."
Other Suncoast Scores:
Daytona State (1-0) upset #2 nationally ranked Miami Dade (0-1) 3-2. The Falcons will travel to Ft. Myers to compete in the FSW Battle of the Beach Tournament next Saturday morning, August 28 against Monroe College and Missouri State University - West Plains. The Sharks will also compete in the FSW Battle of the Beach Tournament next Saturday morning, August 28 as they face #1 Iowa Western CC and #15 Salt Lake CC.
Santa Fe (1-0) defeated Coastal Alabama - East (0-1) 3-1. The Saints will travel to Palatka to take on St. John's River State Friday night, August 27 at 6 pm.
Upcoming Suncoast Weekly Schedule (8/23-28):
8/23: Eastern Florida State vs Palm Beach State @6 pm
8/25: Eastern Florida State vs Palm Beach State @6 pm
8/27: #7 Florida Southwestern vs Monroe @10 am/vs Missouri State West Plains @3 pm
#17 Hillsborough vs Salt Lake CC @12:30 pm/ vs Iowa Western @5:30 pm
#2 Miami Dade vs Iowa Western @ 12:30 pm/ vs Salt Lake CC @3 pm
Santa Fe vs St. John's River State @6 pm
8/28: Daytona State vs Monroe @10 am/Missouri State West Plains @3 pm
HCC vs Monroe @12:30 pm/Missouri State West Plains @ 5:30 pm
FSW vs Iowa Western @12:30 pm/ Salt Lake CC @ 5:30 pm.
#2 MDC vs Santa Fe @1 pm
Up Next:
The Manatees will get their first taste on the road as they head to neutral grounds to face Trinity College of Florida Friday night, August 27 at 6 pm.
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