SCF BVB Finishes 3rd in Nationals

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.

SCF BVB Finishes 7th at Nationals

Tavares, Fla - The #10 seed SCF beach volleyball team (4-18) closed out their season and portion of the NJCAA National Beach Volleyball Championship at Hickory Point Beach in Tavares. The Manatees would finish seventh out of 12 teams in the nation with a split falling to #2 seed Richard Bland College (21-8) 3-1 before defeating #12 seed Bryant and Stranton (VA) (7-16) 3-0.

"What a rush and a thrill it was for us to step onto the court and dominate," said head coach Lynn Burnett. "I'm very proud of this group of ladies and their growth on and off the court this year. It was a bittersweet ending for us and hard to leave without any medals, but it definitely leaves me hungry for next year and make sure that we do a good job of recruiting up and ready to take the teams by storm next year."

#1 seed Palm Beach State (23-4) were named the NJCAA Beach Volleyball Championship after defeating fellow conference member St. John's River State (8-9-2) 3-0. St. John's River State was named the runner-up.

Angelina Botolino (Palm Beach State, Lola Vidamour (Palm Beach State), Cassidy Casey (St. John's River) and Alina Schneider were named NJCAA All-Americans as the #1 pairs of both teams.

SCF vs Richard Bland:

The Manatees were able to get one point on the board as sophomore Amanda Goudinho Pizzol and Yeva Serdiuk would defeat sophomore Karagyn Durco and freshman Sarah Heaththe 21-17, 21-15 at the #1 pair. However, it was all they could produce as the Manatees fell at the #3, #4 and #5 pairs. As a result, the Manatees were moved down to the consolation bracket of the tournament to play for seventh place.

#4 seed Mesa CC would eventually defeat #12 Bryant and Stratton (VA) 3-0.

SCF vs Bryant and Stratton (VA):

Serdiuk and Goudinho Pizzol would take the first match over sophomores Briana Macias and Isabella Delarosa Sanchez at the #1 pair by a score of 21-9, 21-15. Sophomore Shelby McGee and freshman Kayla Gentry would follow with a 21-13, 21-17 win over freshmen Kassandra Menard and Isis Romine at the #2 pair spot before freshmen Remi Hebert and Caelan Cook defeated freshmen Raelyn Johnson and Victoria Mills 21-15, 21-13 at the #3 spot.

Final Standings:

1. Palm Beach State

2. St. John's River State

3. Lake Sumter State

4. South Mountain

5. Richard Bland

6. Mesa

7. SCF

8. Bryant and Stratton (VA)

9. Spartanburg Methodist

10. Gaston

11. Trinidad State

12. Bryant and Stratton (WI)

Sandanom's 25 Lifts SCF VB Over South Florida State

Avon Park, Fla - Sophomore Lana Sandanom’s offensive spark and a game-winning kill from freshman Bailee Perry helped the SCF volleyball team (7-9, 2-4 Sun Lakes South) win on the road as they defeated South Florida State (2-7, 1-5 Sun Lakes South) 3-2 (18-25, 25-12, 22-25, 25-12, 15-5) at the Panther Gym in Avon Park. With the win, the Manatees are now 13-4 against the Panthers and have moved up to first place in the Sun Lakes Conference.

“The team recovered well from errors and did an exceptional job in following directions from the coaches and pull themselves together by finding the holes over the block and serving aggressively,” said head coach Lynn Burnett. “The communication was fantastic."

“We did really good overall today,” said Sandanom. “Everyone was just running to get every ball and our defense was pretty good with the communication compared to the other matches and our energy was amazing, so I thought we did great and it was fun.”

“I think we did really good overall,” said Perry. “The first set was a little wonky for us, but after that we started getting into the groove, talking a lot more and we were just dominating. Most of our points were off of South Florida State's errors and mistakes. Other than that, we did really good and got the win.”

“I think we did pretty well overall,” said freshman Bella Rebimbas “In the first set, we didn't play as well but we came back with a lot of energy and we fought back to force the fifth set and that's why we stayed up the whole time.”

“I think the team did absolutely amazing overall,” said freshman Shelby Pillow. "The connection was immaculate, everybody was talking to each other and trusted each other. We played like a team should have played. It was a huge amount of teamwork that also helped us out a lot that we got Bailey (Perry) back in the rotation. She did fantastic and everybody really showed out."

“I think we did really well,” said freshman Kendall Steinert. “The first set was a little rocky due to the passing, but our communication was really well.”

The first set saw in favor of the Panthers taking the first set off of a tip kill, but the Manatees returned the favor as sophomore Shelby McGee sent an ace down the middle to give the Manatees the second.

While the third belonged to the Panthers, it was still a dog fight for the Manatees as Sandanom secured the fourth set for the Manatees with a kill and forced a fifth.

After being up 3-2 in the fifth set, the Manatees went on a 6-0 run with freshman Rachel Carroll serving. After a few more adjustments, Perry would seal it with a kill to the left to give the Manatees their first five-set win.

Three Manatees lead the way offensively. Sandanom was the main leader as she finished with a career-high 25 kills and six digs. 

“It felt amazing,” said Sandanom on her setting a new career-high. "I was shocked, but I'm really proud because my goal is to put the ball on the floor, so I'm very proud of that."

Perry would get her first collegiate double-double as she finished with a season-high 10 kills, a team-leading and season-high 18 digs, one assist, two aces and three blocks.

"It was my first match back playing front row since my injury during the NJCAA Weekend Tournament in Illinois," said Perry on getting the game-winning kill. “It was just amazing. The fact I came back strong and was able to help out my team as much as I can."

"Bailey and Lana played amazing," said Pillow on Perry and Sandanom. "They're so hard-working and deserved everything that they earned today. They were so aggressive and just played amazing."

"I watched Bailey's confidence grow every play in set over set," said Burnett on Perry. "She just became more and more confident and was hitting over the block. She has such a fast arm swing and her placement on where she chose to put the finesse on the ball, like she had to take the trash out, it was her style."

"I'm proud of how Bailee did today," said assistant coach Craig Wolfe. "She's been so anxious to get back into the lineup after recovering from injury, but doing things the right way by getting completely healed to come back and she made the most of it today."

“Some of those kills that Lana had were complete scramble plays that are outside, dug a ball, threw it up and spiked it,” said Burnett on Sandanom. “It was amazing on so many levels. Swing line, she swung line immediately when we said it and looking for the holes and then at the end coach (Kim) Crawford said that she'll have to redesign my defense because they couldn't stop Lana."

Pillow rounded out the order with 10 kills, one assist and two blocks.

“I did really well with the help of my teammates,” said Pillow on her game. “Our defense pushing and pulling really hard to be really scrappy and get the ball enough to give Kendall (Steinert) the chance to set up to use me as an offense weapon and once we all connected, along with Haley (Rhoads), we exposed their defense and completely took over.”

Steinert would get her ninth double-double of the season as she finished with 51 assists, 12 digs, one ace and three blocks. This was Steinert's first 50+ assist match this season.

“I thought my placement on my set was really good and I thought I played really good defense,” said Steinert on her game.

"Kendall's set selection was right on point," said Wolfe on Steinert. "She made the right choices at the right time and ran the offense as it should be."

Defensively, aside from double-digit digs from Perry and Steinert, Rebimbas and Carroll would finish with 13 and 12 digs respectively. Rebimbas added one kill, one assist and an ace, while Carroll added two aces and three assists.

“I did pretty good on defense,” said Rebimbas on her defense. "I thought we were all trusting each other  to know that someone else was there and we just went for it to get the win.”

Freshman Haley Rhoads lead the way in blocking as she finished with five blocks (one solo) to go along with nine kills. while McGee added 13 digs and an ace.

McGee (nine digs and two aces), sophomore Lison Stoffel (nine digs and one assist) and freshman Caelen Cook (seven kills, seven digs and one assist) also contributed in the match.

Other Sun Lakes Scores:

Palm Beach State (2-6, 2-4 Sun Lakes South) swept Pasco-Hernando State (5-11, 2-5 Sun Lakes South) 3-0. The Panthers will face South Florida State Wedensday night, September 21 at 6 pm.

#13 St. John's River State (11-8, 5-0 Sun Lakes North) were swept and upset by Navarro College (18-2, 4-1 SJCC) by a score of 3-0 and Panola College (6-6, 1-2 SWJC) on day two of the Lee College Invitational in Texas. The Vikings will play Webber International JV Tuesday night, September 20 at 6 pm.

RV Pensacola State (9-5, 4-1 Sun Lakes North) swept Bevill State CC (1-13, 1-9 ACCC) 3-0. The Pirates will take on Lake Sumter State (5-7, 2-4 Sun Lakes North) Friday night, September 23 at 6 pm.

Sun Lakes Conference Standings:

North -

1. #15 Gulf Coast State (12-0, 5-0)

2. #13 St. John's River (11-8, 5-0)

3. RV Pensacola State (9-5, 4-1)

4. FSCJ (3-2, 3-2)

5. LSSC (5-7, 2-4)

South - 

1. SCF (7-9, 2-4)

2. SPC (3-6, 2-4)

3. PBSC (2-6, 2-4)

4. PHSC (5-11, 2-5)

5. SFSC (3-7, 2-5)

Up Next:

The Manatees will return home for four straight matches as they welcome Ave Maria University JV (0-2), Trinity College of Florida (2-7, 1-1 NCCAA) for a tri-match Friday, September 23 at 2 and 6 pm. They will then play Florida State College at Jacksonville (3-2, 3-2 Sun Lakes North) Saturday afternoon, September 24 at 3 pm before wrapping up against St. Pete College (3-6, 2-4 Sun Lakes South) Wednesday night, September 28 at 6 pm.

SCF BVB Takes JUCO Pairs Championship

Palatka, Fla - The SCF beach volleyball team closed out their season officially as they claimed the two-day JUCO Pairs Championship in Palatka at the South Ponte Vedra Beach Recreation Area.

 "Overall, the team did phenomenal," said head coach Lynn Burnett. "Three of our pairs battled it out down to the wire. While this was the end for our season, it's just the beginning of more great things to come."

Day One:

On the first day, three of the five pairs would advance to the first round of play. The duos of sophomore Ana Broadhead and freshman Yeva Serdiuk and sophomores Kayla David and Anna Chechelyntska received a first round bye before sweeping their opponent 2-0 in the second and third matches at the #1 and #2 spots. the duo of sophomore Giulia Rodrigues and freshman Shelby McGee would be the third team to advance after falling 2-1 in the first match before winning the second and third match to advance at the #4 spot.

The duo of sophomore Kaylee Forman and freshman Taryn Wright would be the first team to fall at the #3 spots after falling in both their matches. The French duo of sophomore Lison Stoffel and freshman Lana Sandanom would also fall as they finished 1-2 after winning the first match before losing the second and third match at the #5 spot.

Day Two:

On day two, the championship came down to the #1 and #2 pairs as Broadhead and Serdiuk would defeat Rodrigues and McGee to advance to the finals before defeating David and Chechelyntska in one set by a score of 30-28 to win the championship and get second place.

Congrats to the SCF beach volleyball team on an incredible journey after taking not just the inaugural Region 8 JUCO Pairs Championship and runner-up, but the inaugural AVCA Two-Year College Championship prior. Thank you for your passion and determination on reaching these milestones.

Up Next:

With the season and tournaments over, Burnett will now focus on her recruitments for the 2022-23 season.

SCF BVB Becomes National Champs!!!

Photo Credit: NJCAA

Tavares, Fla - Despite a slight weather delay in the final match, the #1 seed SCF beach volleyball team (13-7) made their national dreams come true as they won the inaugural AVCA Two-Year College Championship at Hickory Point Beach in Tavares. The Manatees defeated #4 seed Spartanburg Methodist (5-11) 4-1 in the semifinals before defeating #3 seed Lake Sumter State (5-11) 3-2 in the championship match.

"It feels amazing," said head coach Lynn Burnett. "The girls worked really hard for this moment and I am so proud of them and this journey of a lifetime that they have been waiting for. To be named the inaugural AVCA Two-Year College Champions is quite an honor for us."

"The team did really good," said freshman Lana Sandanom. "I am so proud of everyone because we did everything to win this championship and it paid off. We stayed disciplined and still had a lot of fun. There are so many emotions I'm feeling. I am happy and proud, but I am also still in shock not because I didn't believe in us, but because we accomplished what we said we were going to accomplish. We worked so hard for this."

"The team did amazing the whole weekend when we won almost every time by a score of 4-1 or 5-0," said sophomore Lison Stoffel. "The chemistry and cheering was the best. It still feels crazy that after so long with losses in indoor, I can't believe that we made it. It's the accomplishment of months of hard work, ups and downs, but everything vanished after the win and we held that trophy. I am so excited for the next step."

Quarterfinals Matches:

The Manatees, who were the #1 seed, and the #2 seed St. John's River State (6-12) had a first-round bye round to the semifinals where they awaited their opponents.

In the quarterfinals, #3 Lake Sumter State woud defeat #6 seed Bryant and Stratton (0-6) in a 5-0 complete sweep, while the #4 Spartanburg Methodist swept #5 seed Sandhills CC 5-0. As a result of the losses, Bryant and Stratton and Sandhilll CC were sent to the 5th place bracket.

SCF vs Spartanburg Methodist:

Heading into the semifinals, the sophomore duo of Kayla David and Anna Chechelyntska would defeat the sophomore duo of McKenzie MacIntosh and Meghan Scharpenberg 21-12, 21-15 at the #2 spot, while sophomore Giulia Rodrigues and freshman Shelby McGee were forced to three sets against sophomores KayDee Runion and Sidney Russell, but with high spirts and energy, Rodrigues and MeGee won their match 21-10, 27-29, 16-14 at the #4 spot.

The dagger for the Manatees came off of a win by sophomore Ana Broadhead and freshman Yeva Serdiuk as they defeated sophomores Laura Lietzke and Taylor Reilly with a 21-9 pair decision at the #1 spot to advance to the finals and send the Pioneers to the third place bracket.

The final two matches continued as Stoffel and Sandanom defeated freshmen Tayla Reini and Racquel Talley 21-6, 21-17 at the #5 spot, while sophomore Kaylee Forman and freshman Taryn Wright fell to sophomore Abby Funchess and freshman Rory Aho 21-14, 21-13 at the #3 spot for the Manatees only loss in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, in the other semifinal match, #3 Lake Sumter pulled an upset win as they defeated #2 St. John's River State 3-2 to force them to the third place bracket.

3rd and 5th Place Matches:

In the fifth place match, Sandhills CC would win 4-1 over Bryant and Stratton to claim fifth place. Sandhills CC would finish their season at 2-13 overall, while Bryant and Stratton would fall to 0-6 and finished in last place.

In the third place match, #4 Spartanburg Methodist would pull off an upset moment of their own as they defeated #2 St. John's River State 3-2. The Pioneers would end their season at 5-11 with the third place finish, while the Vikings finished their season 6-12 overall with a fourth place finish.

SCF vs Lake Sumter:

In the championship match, the match was delayed for a while due to inclement weather and a lightning delay, but would resume after it cleared up.

Broadhead and Serdiuk would defeat sophomores Erin Ellis and Alyssa Guarino 21-12, 21-16 at the #1 spot to open it up. After David and Chechelyntska defeated sophomores Isabaella Ospina and Carolina Marrero with a 21-6 pair decision at the #2 spot, the Lakehawks would get their points on the board as Forman and Wright fell to sophomore Faith Horgeshimer and freshman Kaylin McCann in three sets (21-18, 18-21, 10-15) at the #3 spot before Rodrigues and McGee fell to sophomore Macey McGinnis and freshman Madison Heskett in a at the #4 spot in a 19-21 pair decision.

The final point came down to the #5 spot between Stoffel and Sandanom and freshmen Cayla Colbert and Leslie Catlett. With a lot of grit, passion and determination, the French duo hit the dagger over Colbert and Catlett and sealed a 21-18, 21-10 win to take the title for the Manatees.

"Lison and I were so happy to play together," said Sandanom on playing with Stoffel for the game-winner. "Seeing everything that we could accomplish was making us really happy. We were able to win our four matches those two days and even if at some moment it was harder because of the heat or when we were tired, we were still able to get back to the game and finish it together and winning those games made us the happiest."

"It feels so good to be able to get the game-winner, especially with Lana," said Stoffel on playing with Sandanom for the game-winner. "We wanted to play together since the beginning and we won every single game of the tournament and winning that last game felt like giving back to SCF for everything that they gave us."

Final Placings:

1. SCF (13-7)

2. Lake Sumter State (5-11)

3. Spartanburg Methodist (5-11)

4. St. John's River (6-12)

5. Sandhills CC (2-13)

6. Bryant and Stratton (0-6)

Notes:

As a result of winning the championship and runner-up, Broadhead (SCF), Serdiuk (SCF), Ellis (LSSC) and Guarino (LCCS), the #1 pairs in the tournament, were named inaugural AVCA Two-Year College All-Americans.

At the end of the tournament, three of the five teams for the Manatees went unbeaten at 4-0: Broadhead and Serdiuk, David and Chechelyntska and Stoffel and Sandanom.

Up Next:

The journey continues for the Manatees as they head to the South Pone Vedra Beach Recreation Area in Palatka for the JUCO Pairs Championship Friday and Saturday, April 29-30.

SCF BVB Sweeps Day One of AVCA Tournament

Tavares, Fla - The SCF beach volleyball team (12-7) pulled off a big sweep to open day one of the inaugural AVCA Two-Year College Championship at Hickory Point Beach in Tavares. The Manatees defeated Sandhills CC (1-12) 5-0 and Lake Sumter (3-10) 4-1.

"It was great to be back in that venue and this time playing alongside the DIIs and NAIAs," said head coach Lynn Burnett. "The atmosphere was electric, yet our team was calm and poised. They did what they were trained to do."

SCF vs Sandhill CC:

The sophomore duo of Kayla David and Anna Chechelyntska made quick work at the #2 spot as they defeated sophomore Abby Quick and freshman Madison Harris 21-11, 21-4. Following along, sophomore Giulia Rodrigues and freshman Shelby McGee defeated sophomore Mya Mallard and freshman KeKe Lawrence 21-9, 21-10 at the #4 spot.

With the score 2-0 SCF, sophomore Ana Broadhead and freshman Yeva Serdiuk would seal the victory at the #1 spot as they defeated freshmen Lexi Allen and L'Asia Jackson 21-12, 21-11.

The final two matches continued as the French duo of sophomore Lison Stoffel and freshman Lana Sandanom defeated freshmen Ja'Lasia Ray and Kayla Sadowski 21-13, 21-14 at the #5 spot before sophomore Kaylee Forman and freshman Taryn Wright defeated sophomore Cameron Lowe and freshman Kaitlyn Locklear 21-19, 21-15 at the #4 spot for a clean sweep.

SCF vs Lake Sumter:

In the second match, Broadhead and Serdiuk would defeat sophomores Erin Ellis and Alyssa Guarino 21-8, 21-15 at the #1 spot to open it up. After David and Chechelyntska defeated sophomores Isabaella Ospina and Carolina Marrero 21-11, 21-15 at the #2 spot, Rodrigues and McGee would seal it for the Manatees as they defeated sophomore Macey McGinnis and freshman Madison Heskett 21-19, 21-18 at the #4 spot.

The Lakehawks would get their lone point as Forman and Wright would fall to sophomore Faith Horgeshimer and freshman Kaylin McCann in three sets (21-18, 18-21, 9-15) at the #3 spot before Stoffel and Sandanom defeated freshmen Cayla Colbert and Leslie Catlett in three sets (21-15, 12-21, 15-10) at the #5 spot.

Other Matches:

At the same time as the Manatees, St. John's River State (6-10) defeated Bryant and Stratton (0-4) 5-0 in the second 8 am matchup.

In the 11 am matches, Lake Sumter State defeated Sandhills CC 5-0 to finish day one 1-1, while Spartanburg Methodist (4-10) defeated Bryant and Stratton 5-0.

Following SCF's win over Lake Sumter, St. John's River State defeated Spartanburg Methodist 3-2 in the other 2 pm match.

Day One Standings:

1. SCF (2-0)

2. St. John's River State (2-0)

3. Spartanburg Methodist (1-1)

4. Lake Sumter State (1-1)

5. Sandhills CC (0-2)

6. Bryant and Stratton (0-2)

Gold Bracket Breakdown:

#1 SCF and #2 St. John's River State earned a bye and will await their opponents. The Manatees will await the winner between Sandhills CC and Spartanburg Methodist, while the Vikings await the winner between Lake Sumter and Bryant and Stratton.

Up Next:

The Manatees will play the winner of the quarterfinals Friday morning, April 15 at 10 am/