Huntsville, Ala - The SCF beach volleyball team (13-7) closed the 2023-24 athletic season on a strong note. Despite falling 4-1 to Richard Bland (24-13) in in the semifinals, the Manatees would defeat conference rival Lake Sumter State (13-16) 3-2 for a third place finish at the NJCAA Beach Volleyball Championship at John Hunt Park in Huntsville.
Palm Beach State (23-8) would win the NJCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament for the second consecutive year after defeating Richard Bland 4-1 in the finals.
“I think our team did a great job, not just at nationals, but all season,” said head coach Eunyce Vercosa. “They worked really hard with so much practice and did what they needed to do. We can't control the result, but I loved the personas that they had and how we finished to the end. After losing in the semifinals, they came in with a completely different mindset and finished for third, which was amazing. I'm so proud of the team and what we built all season.”
“I think with two coaches coming in this year and being thrown into it, we did an amazing job,” said assistant coach Kat Paraspolo “Me an Eunyce connected really well together and came together to teach them as much as we could with our time with them this. I thought they did such an amazing finish with all the circumstances.”
Consolation Pool:
Gaston College (11-23) would win the consolation pool after defeating Trinidad State (2-14) 3-2 and shutting out Bryant and Stratton (0-9) 5-0 to finish in seventh place. Trinidad State would defeat Bryant and Stratton 3-2 to finish in eighth, while Bryant and Stratton finished in last place.
Quarterfinals:
Richard Bland (#3 seed) would open with a 4-0 shutout win over Sandhills CC (#6 seed) (13-19) to advance to the semifinals and face SCF, who secured a first round bye.
In the second quarterfinals matchup, Lake Sumter State (#5 seed) would narrowly defeat Mesa CC (#4 seed) (16-14) 3-2 to face #1 seed Palm Beach State in the semifinals.
As a result of their losses, Sandhills CC and Mesa CC were sent to the 5th place bracket.
5th Place Match:
Heading into the 5th place bracket, Mesa CC would shutout Sandhills CC 5-0 to finish in fifth place, while Sandhills CC finished in sixth.
SCF vs Richard Bland:
Sophomores Rhea Kohl and Kayla Gentry would get the lone win as they defeated the Region 10 Pair of the Year in sophomores Sarah Heath and Jordan Schlageter 21-11, 21-19 on the court #1 before the Statesmen took the remaining four matches to advance to the championship finals.
Palm Beach State would then defeat Lake Sumter State 3-0 to also advance to the championship finals before winning the title.
SCF vs Lake Sumter State:
With the championship finals out of their sight, the Manatees would look to be in the top three as they faced their state foe in the third place bracket.
Sophomore Amanda Gaudinho Pizzol and freshman Teresa Briefeneder would fall to sophomore Jayden Ponsford and freshman Braelyn Mittauer 21-7, 21-10 on the #3 court before sophomore Caelan Cook and freshman Morgan McGuire would then fall to sophomores Berklee Andrews and Allie Cox 22-20, 21-14 on the #4 court.
The Manatees looked to lose hope and were about to claim a fourth place finish, but sophomores Bailee Perry and Isabella Rebimbas would give them a fighting chance on the #5 court as they defeated sophomore Mazi Watson and freshman Kai Register with a 21-19 pair decision.
With two matches left, both were in dead heat ties in the third set, but the Manatees would breathe more life as freshmen Aleksandra Wrobel and Addison Beaver defeated sophomores Cassidy Rountree and Leanne Blue 21-14, 19-21, 15-13 on the #2 court to tie the matchup.
On the #1 court, Gentry and Kohl were put to the test against sophomores Yarielis Lopez Osorio and Kaylee Hunt as their third set would extend with several ties and lead changes, but a kill by Kohl and an attack error from the Lakehawks sealed the victory for the Manatees.
Notes:
1. For this season, Gaudinho Pizzol, Gentry, Wrobel, Kohl, Beaver and Perry all finished in the top 10 in career wins (Gaudinho Pizzol, 18; Gentry, 18; Wrobel, 18; Kohl, 17; Beaver, 16; Perry, 13)
Final Placings:
1. Palm Beach State *
2. Richard Bland College ^
3. SCF
4. Lake Sumter
5. Mesa CC
6. Sandhills
7. Gaston
8. Trinidad State
9. Bryant and Stratton
* National Champions
^National Runner-Up
Up Next:
This concludes the season for the Manatees as they will turn their focus on the 2025 season.
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