Bradenton, Fla - The SCF volleyball team look to move forward from the 2022 season as they prepare for 2023 with a new squadron of players for the season.
Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off finishing last season 12-15 overall with a 5-8 record in the Sun Lakes Conference. They would finish second in conference play and secure a spot in the FCSAA DII Region 8 State Tournament as the #7 seed where they fell in three sets to Gulf Coast State. It was the Manatees' first playoff appearance since 2014. Additionally, this was their first year in division two.
The Manatees are lead by head coach Lynn Burnett. Burnett enters her third official season as head coach for the Manatees. She is assisted by second year assistant coach Craig Wolfe and first-year assistant coach Amanda Black.
Welcoming the New Bloods:
With a new season comes a new team as the Manatees will lose four players from last season: Lana Sandanom, Lison Stoffel, Shelby McGee, Haley Rhoads, Katarina McCall and Kendall Steinert. Sandanom, Stoffel and McGee have graduated from SCF. Rhoads departed from the team due to personal reasons, while Steinert transferred to Webber International University to play indoor and beach volleyball.
Despite the departures, Burnett was able to bring in 10 newcomers to join the indoor team. Four are international, three are transfers and seven are freshmen.
Jaycie Sheean:
A middle blocker from Rockford, Illinois, Sheean joins the Manatee as a transfer from Purdue University Northwest (NCAA DII). She will have one year of eligibility remaining and will be the first NCAA DII player to join the Manatees' volleyball team.
As a member of the Lions, she played in five matches (two starts) where she produced five kills, two digs and eight blocks.
Prior to Purdue Northwest, Sheean played at Lutheran High School in Rockford where she played all four years on varsity for the Crusaders and finished her career with 394 kills, 112 aces, 136 digs and 93 blocks (57 solo). Additionally, she helped the Crusaders to two appearances in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State Tournament, which included a fourth place finish during her sophomore year and was named a member of the All-Big Northern Second Team. Her senior year was her most productive as she finished with 163 kills, 23 aces, 54 blocks (14 solo) and 40 digs.
Katie Keefe:
An outside hitter from London, England, Keefe joins the Manatees after transferring from Stetson University from their beach volleyball team. She will have one year of eligibility with the beach team and two years of eligibility with the indoor team. Historically, she is the first volleyball player from England to play for SCF and the first NCAA DI transfer to join the team.
As a freshman for the Lady Hatters beach team, Keefe played majorly in extra matches, but played one match at the #5 pair. Despite only playing that the one sanctioned match, she was named a member of the ASUN Academic Honor Roll while being a part of the Lady Hatters run of winning the ASUN Conference Beach Volleyball Tournament and qualifying for the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship.
Prior to Stetson, Keefe was enrolled at the London Oratory School for academics. While doing that, she has competed in several indoor volleyball tournaments in Europe where she was named the best outside hitter at the 2019 NEVZA U17 Tournament. She was named MVP three times for indoor and has won four gold and four silver medals.
In beach, Keefe and her partner, Isabelle Tucker, have competed in five beach volleyball tournaments in Europe where they won a gold and silver medal in the European Championship and a gold in the NEVZA U19 Beach Volleyball Tournament. Earlier this year, Keefe competed in the FIBV World Tour in Madrid, Spain with Tucker.
Aleksandra Wrobel:
A right side hitter from Warsaw, Poland, Wrobel, a true freshman, joins SCF after recently playing for her U20 club team, Trans-Ann Ptomein Sosnowiec in Sosnowiec, Poland. She will be the first Polish player for SCF volleyball.
With Trans-Ann Ptomein, she helped them to a 21-10 record in club play.
Elise Bakken:
A setter from Oslo, Norway, Rehn Bakken joins the Manatees after playing club volleyball for Koll IL II and Oslo Volley. She will be the first Norwegian to play for SCF volleyball.
During her tenures with Oslo Volley, she has competed in the Norwegian Cup and the Norwegian league Tournament during the 2020-21 year where she finished in the top 10.
Theresa Briefeneder:
A middle blocker from Seekirchen, Austria, Briefender joins the Manatees after playing club volleyball for UVV Seekirchen. There, she helped them to a 7th place finish at the Austrian League II Tournament. Briefender will be the first Austrian to play for SCF volleyball.
Alannah McCaughey:
McCaughey, a local product and libero from Punta Gorda, joins the Manatees after graduating from Charlotte High School. As a member of the Tarpons for her last two seasons on varsity, McCaughey finished with 42 aces and 287 digs. During those last two seasons, she helped the Tarpons to two straight appearances in the regional semifinals of the FHSAA 5A State Tournament.
Additionally, she played on Charlotte High School's beach volleyball team and helped the Tarpons to the FHSAA Beach Volleyball Championship State Tournament in the program's second season.
Charlotte Herman:
Herman, a middle blocker and local from Venice, joins the Manatees after graduating from Venice High School. She played her last two seasons on the Indians' varsity squad where she finished with 21 kills.
During her senior year, despite playing in only four sets overall, Herman was still a part of Venice High School's run in FHSAA 7A as they went 22-4 overall a 3-0 record in districts where they were named the 7A District 12 Regular season champions before winning the FHSAA 7A State Volleyball Tournament after defeating Hagerty High School 3-1 to take the title for their fourth time in 7A.
Herman also plays beach volleyball and helped the Indians to two straight appearances in the FHSAA Beach Volleyball State Tournament.
Katrina 'Kat' Tallo:
A middle blocker and local from Sarasota, Tallo joins the Manatees after playing one year at the Classical Academy of Sarasota as a homeschooled student. As a member of the Patriots, Tallo finished her lone season with 101 kills, 27 aces, three blocks and 92 digs, while helping them to the the FHSAA 2A District Tournament. One of her best games was in a 3-2 loss to Sarasota Christian where she finished with a double-double of 23 kills, 13 digs and eight aces.
Prior to Classical Academy, Tallo played her freshman year with the Gulf Coast Heat where she had four kills and 10 digs.
Like McCaughy and Herman, Tallo also plays beach volleyball for the Patriots in which she helped to an appearance in the FHSAA Beach Volleyball State Championship Tournament.
Morgan McGuire:
A setter from Dover, Florida, McGuire joins the Manatees after graduating from Strawberry Crest High School. As a member of the Chargers, McGuire played her last two seasons on varsity where finished her career with 813 assists, 207 digs, 71 aces, 62 kills and 10 blocks. During her junior year, she helped the Chargers to an appearance in the FHSAA 6A State Volleyball Tournament. Her senior year was her most productive year as she finished with 526 assists, 146 digs, 43 aces and 55 kills.
Mailyenid Vazquez:
A defensive specialist and local product from Bradenton via Puerto Rico, joins the Manatees as a walk-on after transferring from Johnson University Florida (NCCAA). She will have one year of eligibility remaining and will be the first transfer from an NCCAA university.
As a member of the Lady Suns during the 2021 season, Vazquez finished her lone season with 43 kills, 15 assists, 14 aces and 206 digs before leaving the team for personal reasons.
Prior to Johnson University, Vazquez played at Braden River High School where she helped them to the semifinals of the FHSAA 6A District Tournament.
Bringing Back Experience:
With the eight newcomers joining, Burnett was able to bring back eight sophomores to rejoin the team: Bailee Perry, Rachel Carroll, Kloe Pinto, Amee Beedle, Isabella Rebimbas, Caelan Cook, Emily Lyons and Shelby Pillow.
Perry, who has been limited on playing due to injury, finished her freshman campaign with 48 kills, eight aces, 110 digs (sixth most on the team) and 11 blocks. She produce her first collegiate double-double against South Florida State (9/17/22: 10 kills and 18 blocks) and set a career-high 28 digs against Gulf Coast State (11/4/22).
Carroll, who rotated as starter and role player, finished her freshman campaign with 178 digs (fifth most on the team), 21 assists and 19 aces. She produced 10 plus digs in seven of her matches, which included 15 against Palm Beach State.
Pinto finished her freshman campaign with five kills and 15 digs.
Beedle returns to the Manatees after redshirting last season. The native of Wheaton, Illinois joined the Manatees after transferring from Vincennes University (NJCAA) in Indiana.
Rebimbas, the hybrid player of the Manatees, finished last season with 190 kills (fourth most on the team), 16 aces, 292 digs (second most on the team) and 22 blocks. She was named a member of the All-Sun Lakes Second Team.
Cook finished her freshman campaign with 192 kills (third most on the team), 92 digs and 17 blocks, which included her first collegiate double-double against Moraine Valley CC (8/19/22).
Lyons finished her freshman year with 14 kills, seven digs and two blocks.
Pillow, the leader in blocking, finished her first year with 172 kills (fifth most on the team), 23 digs and 73 blocks (23 solo). In the middle of the season, the native of Athens, Georgia was ranked in the top 100 in kills and blocks.
Schedule Breakdown:
The Manatees will open the first five matches of the season on the road as they open with a tri-match against Webber International University JV and Warner University JV (8/19) before heading out of state for the second straight season to Georgia against Andrew College and Southern Union State CC (8/25) and wrapping it up with their conference opener on the road against St. Pete College (8/30). After their road trip, they will return back to Bradenton for their home opener against South Florida State College (9/2).
Following their home opener, the Manatees will head back on the road for the next five matches as they take on Ave Maria JV (9/8), Warner University JV and Florida National University JV (9/9) for non-conference play. They will then shift their focus to conference play against Pasco-Hernando State (9/13) and Palm Beach State (9/16).
The Manatees then return home to face Sun Lakes North Division members Gulf Coast State (9/22) and Pensacola State (9/23) before returning to the road for matches against Florida State College at Jacksonville (9/28), St. John's River State (9/29) and Lake Sumter State (9/30).
Come October, the Manatees will play the majority of the month at home as they welcome St. Pete College (10/4), Trinity College of Florida (10/12), Webber International (10/12), Ave Maria JV (10/13), Pasco-Hernando State (10/18) and Palm Beach State (10/21). They will face South Florida State (10/7) after playing St. Pete and before playing Trinity College.
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