SCF Baseball Takes Home Five Awards

Bradenton, Fla - As the #22 SCF baseball team prepares for the final four in the NJCAA Region 8 Baseball Tournament, five of the players were able to take home conference recognitions for their hard work on the field, which was highlighted by freshman Lochlan Radloff winning the Citrus Conference Pitcher of the Year accolade. Radloff also joins freshman Myles Davis and sophomore Luke Boykin on the All-Citrus Conference First Team, while freshman Aidan Ray and sophomore Hayden Gustavson were named to All-Citrus Conference Second Team.

"Very proud of Lochlan, Luke, Myles, Aidan and Hayden for their hard work on the field," said head coach Tim Hill II. "They really deserved this recognition for the work they have done for this season."

Radloff became the fourth Manatee under Hill II to win conference pitcher of the year (Robby Kalaf [2013], Zach Attianese [2018], Michael Forret [2023]). The local product from Lakewood Ranch High School is currently 7-4 with a 3.53 ERA, 32 walks and 93 strikeouts in 81.21 innings of work while throwing six complete games (five of them being shutouts), which is #1 in the state and tied for #1 in the nation. Additionally, Radloff was named as one of the top 10 players in the Citrus Conference. In his start at regionals, he earned a no-decision after throwing six and a third innings with two strikeouts.

"Lochlan is incredible and deserved to win conference pitcher of the year," said Hill II on Radloff. "He's super competitive and had some really good games for us, which even included three straight shutouts. I still think there's a lot of room for hims to keep getting better."

Davis, who has been the team's starting designated hitter after returning to the lineup on March 18, is currently batting .374 with 55 hits, 35 runs, five home runs and 34 RBI. Additionally, the native of Marion, Iowa is currently on a 17-game hitting streak, dating back to April 3.

"Myles has been slowed down by a few injuries, but he has been one of our best hitters," said Hill II on Davis. He has a great approach and good balance in the box where he has been getting some really big hits for us.

Boykin is currently batting .342 with 53 hits, 44 runs, 18 home runs and 48 RBI. His 18 home runs ranks #2 in the state and #10 in the nation.

"Luke winning first team all-conference was well deserved," said Hill II on Boykin. "He improved a lot from last year and proved that in his hitting this year. He's been a really huge par of this team's path to success."

After transitioning from a relief pitcher to starting pitcher, Ray, a native of Anchorage, Alaska, finished the regular season 5-2 with a 4.72 ERA, 36 walks and 69 strikeouts in 68.2 innings.

"Aidan's progression has been really good," said Hill II on Ray. "He's got good stuff and he's continuing to learn how to us the stuff we taught him while being competitive and keeping his emotions under control, so it was nice to see him do well.

Guastavson, who earned second team recognition as a catcher, is currently batting .340 with 49 hits, 36 runs, two home runs and 31 RBI. He went 4-for-8 in the regionals with two RBI. In fact, Gustavson hit the clutch RBI single that gave the Manatees the win over Northwest Florida State for game one of the regionals.

"If you would have told me starting this season he'd be our number one catcher and do something, I'd say probably not," said Hill II. "I think Hayden has worked really had behind the plate to become a pretty good defensive catcher. He's not just a defensive guy, he gives us a lot of offense, knows how to play the game, plays hard and is very versatile while playing other positions when he is not a catcher, but you'll really see the improvement from him behind the plate and has been a key to our success."

The Manatees look to add more to their regime as they face #6 Florida Southwestern to open the final four of the tournament.

Boykin Named Player of the Week

Bradenton, Fla. - While the #22 SCF baseball team prepares for the final four of the NJCAA Region 8 State Baseball Tournament, sophomore Luke Boykin was able to add another weekly accolade to the trophy case as he was named the NJCAA Region 8 Player of the Week. Boykin's weekly award marks the eighth time the Manatees won a weekly award and the second straight week that they won the player of the week award (Myles Davis: April 29).

Boykin is coming off of helping the Manatees' sweep over RV Northwest Florida State in the Niceville Regional. There, he would go 4-for-9 (.444) with three home runs, five runs scored and seven RBI. In the second game of regionals, he would hit two home runs with three runs scored and four RBI. In fact, not only was he the second Manatee to have a multi-home run game this season (first being Myles Davis), but he is the first Manatee to hit two home runs in a postseason game under head coach Tim Hill II's leadership.

Currently, the transfer from the University of Georgia is batting .342 with 53 hits, 44 runs, 18 home runs and 48 RBI. In fact, Boykin's 18 home runs are not only ranked #2 in the state, but are ranked #10 in the nation.

Boykin and the Manatees will look to continue to play strongly in the postseason as they face #7 Florida Southwestern State on May 9.

SCF Baseball Set for Final Four

Bradenton, Fla - After a successful sweep in regional, the #22 SCF baseball team (37-19) will now look to set their sights on the next task of the NJCAA Region 8 State DI Baseball Tournament and that is the final four. The Manatees will take on #6 Florida Southwestern (41-14) at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Florida Friday afternoon, May 9 at 1 pm.

Final Four:

Friday, May 9 - 
 #7 Florida Southwestern vs #25 SCF, 1 pm

 #11 Gulf Coast State vs Central Florida, 5 pm

Saturday, May 13 - 

Game one loser vs game two loser, 1 pm
Game one winner vs Game two winner, 5 pm

Sunday, May 14 - 

Game four loser vs Game three winner, 1 pm

Game four winner vs Game five loser, 5 pm

Monday, May 15 (if necessary) - 

Game six winner vs Game six loser (if team loses), 10 am.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of sweeping Northwest Florida State in the Niceville Regionals of the NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament. They would win game one 13-9 before winning game two 11-6. As a result of their wins in regionals, they would punch their ticket to the final four of the tournament. Additionally, the Manatees bumped up to #22 in the nation in the NJCAA Top 25 National Polls.

Baseball Awards:
Both the Citrus and Panhandle conferences have certain awards and accolades: Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Fireman of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, FCSAA All-State (first and second team), Jean Williams Scholar-Athlete Award (FCSAA All-State), FCSAA All-Tournament Team, FCSAA All-Tournament Team MVP and FCSAA All-Tournament Team Coach of the Year. The first team and second team is placed individually by position including designated hitter.

Citrus Conference Coach of the Year:

The Citrus Conference Coach of the Year award would be awarded to Florida Southwestern head coach Zac Cole. Cole enters his third season as head coach for the Buccaneers and takes home his first coach of the year for them.

Citrus Conference Player of the Year:

The Citrus Conference Player of the Year was awarded to Dawson Harman from Central Florida. Harman, a transfer from High Point University, is currently batting .383 with 69 hits, 64 runs, 22 home runs and 61 RBI. His 22 home runs are ranked #1 in the state and ranked tied for #4 in the nation.

Citrus Conference Pitcher of the Year:

Freshman Lochlan Radloff was unanimously named the Citrus Conference Pitcher of the Year. Additionally, he was named a member of the All-Citrus Conference First Team and on the Citrus Conference Top 10 Players List.

Radloff is currently 7-4 overall with a 3.53 ERA, 32 walks and 93 strikeouts in 81.2 innings of work. In addition, he has thrown six complete games (five shutouts), which is #1 in the state and tied for #1 in the nation, while his 93 strikeouts rank #1 in the state and #6 in the nation. In his last start against Northwest Florida State, Radloff threw six and a third innings with two strikeouts for a no-decision.

Citrus Conference Defensive Player of the Year:

Sophomore Jordan Thomas from Polk State was named the Citrus Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Thomas had a 1.000 fielding percentage with 102 putouts and six assists with no errors while batting .346 with 63 hits, 36 runs, one home run, 36 RBI and 18 stolen bases. Additionally, he was named a member of the Citrus Conference Second Team and Citrus Conference All-Defensive Team.

Citrus Conference Fireman of the Year:

The Citrus Conference Fireman of the Year was awarded to sophomore Justin Minaberry from Indian River State. Minaberry is currently 4-1 with a 2.92 ERA, four saves, 15 walks and 55 strikeouts in 37 innings. He was also named a member of the Citrus Conference First Team as a reliever.

Citrus Conference First Team:

Alongside Radloff, sophomore Luke Boykin and freshman Myles Davis were named to the Citrus Conference First Team.

Boykin is currently batting .342 with 53 hits, 44 runs, 18 home runs and 48 RBI. In the Niceville Regional, the transfer from the University of Georgia went 4-for-9 with three home runs and seven RBI. 

Davis, who returned to the lineup from injury as the starting designated hitter, is currently batting .382 with 60 hits, 38 runs, six home runs and 36 RBI. At the regionals, Davis went 5-for-10 with a home run and two RBI. Currently, the native of Marion, Iowa is on a 17-game hitting streak.

Other members that joined the All-Citrus First Team are the following by team:

Hillsborough: Angel Matos (C)

Polk State: Jake Echols (P)

Florida Southwestern: Jake Mueller (INF), Devin Parks (OF), Carlos Sanchez (OF), Nik Periera (C), Abel Albarran (P), Josiah Velazquez (P)

Indian River State: Maikol Lucena (INF), Jacob Souza (OF), Brett Patten (OF), Jake Weatherspoon (C), Lucas Glendinning (P), Justin Minaberry (P)

Miami Dade: Cain Copeland (INF), Michael Petite (OF), Jordan Vargas (P)

Central Florida: Dawson Harman (INF), Victor Martinez (DH)

Eastern Florida State: Owen Simmons (P)

Santa Fe: Robert Nedry (INF), Ryan Chase (INF)

Citrus Conference Second Team:

Sophomore Hayden Gustavson and freshman Aidan Ray were named to the Citrus Conference Second Team.

Gustavson, who primarily plays as a catcher and corner infielder, is currently batting .340 with 49 hits, 36 runs, two home runs and 31 RBI. At the Niceville Regionals, he went 4-for-8 with two RBI, which included hitting the go-ahead run in the first game.

After transitioning from a middle relief to opening starting pitcher on March 20, Ray has made an improvement to the Manatees' rotation. Currently, the Alaskan native is 5-2 with a 4.72 ERA, one save, 36 walks and 69 strikeouts in 68.2 innings of work. He earned the win against Northwest Florida State throwing five and two-thirds innings with five strikeouts.

Other members that joined SCF on the All-Suncoast Second Team included the following by teams:

St. Pete: Jose Rangel (INF), Mel Rubiera (OF)

Polk State: Jordan Thomas (OF), Wade Johnson (P)

Florida Southwestern: Anthony Ruocco (INF), Luke Orfi (INF), Brock Knoerr (DH), Andrew McLaughlin (P), 

Seminole State College of Florida: Juan Orozco (INF), Gialdri Gomez (OF)

Indian River State: Shane Lavin (P), Sammy Beir (P)

Miami Dade: Talan Beckford (INF), Santiago Carriles (C)

Central Florida: Jay Jung (P)

Eastern Florida State: Jason Mack (INF), Jeff Davis (OF), Bo Tabola (C), Michael Benedict (P)

Santa Fe: Zach Dejesus (OF), Lucas Johns (P)

Wild Ones:

Alongside the conference selected, sophomores Oscar Hernandez, Mario Trivella, Connor O'Sullivan and Daniel Hartley, redshirt freshman Cole Dement, and freshmen Ben Ryan, Holden Brauner, Mattie Counts, Ryan Kaitz, Clayton Evans, Austin Monahan and Will Rawls play as the wildcards of the team.

Hernandez, who is the #3 starting pitcher, is currently 8-4 with a 5.15 ERA, 21 walks and 53 strikeouts in 73.1 innings of work. The upcoming transfer for the University of Tampa earned the win over St. Pete after throwing a five-inning complete game with four strikeouts in his last start. Additionally, his eight wins are ranked #3 in the state and tied for #24 in the nation.

Trivella is currently batting .318 with 54 hits, 48 runs, seven home runs and 43 RBI. He went 2-for-9 against Northwest Florida State with a home run, two RBI and four runs scored.

O'Sullivan is currently batting .313 with 35 hits, 25 runs, one home run and 18 RBI.

Hartley, who has played primarily as the closing pitcher, is currently 4-1 with a 2.55 ERA, four saves, five walks and 25 strikeouts in 17.2 innings of work. He earned the win over Northwest Florida State after throwing one and two-thirds innings of relief with four strikeouts.

Dement, who played as the setup pitcher, is currently 3-2 with a 3.32 ERA, three saves, 16 walks and 57 strikeouts in 40.2 innings. He threw one inning of relief with two strikeouts.

Ryan, who has been the secondary power hitter, is batting .318 with 47 hits, 44 runs, eight home runs and 46 RBI.

Brauner is batting .320 with 48 hits, 29 runs, five home runs and 33 RBI.

Counts, who has played as a speedster and contact batter, is currently batting .307 with 35 hits, 32 runs and 26 RBI.

Kaitz is currently batting .280 with 23 hits, 20 runs, three home runs and 17 RBI.

Evans, who has played a primary role as Radloff's starting catcher, is batting .273 with 21 hits, 16 runs, three home runs and 15 RBI. He played a key role in game one of the Niceville Regionals by providing insurance runs as he went 1-for-3 with two RBI and two walks.

Monahan played one of his best games in the Niceville Regionals where he threw three and a third scoreless innings with two strikeouts. He is currently 0-1 with a 4.67 ERA, two saves, eight walks and 16 strikeouts in 27 innings.

Rawls, who has played a key role in the lineup, is currently batting .362 with 17 hits, 13 runs and 11 RBI. He went 2-for-4 with a run in game two of the Niceville Regionals.

Scouting #6 Florida Southwestern:

The Buccaneers, who are ranked #6 in the nation and won the Citrus Conference Regular Season Championship, are coming off of winning their hosted Fort Myers Regional over Pensacola State to punch their ticket to the final four. They would fall 12-6 in game one before winning games two and three 11-3 and 9-3 respectively.

At the plate, sophomore Jake Mueller leads the way offensively batting .337 with 65 hits, 13 home runs and 59 RBI. He was named a member of the All-Citrus Conference First Team.

Meanwhile, sophomore Abel Albarran leads the way for the Buccaneers on the mound as he is 6-1 with a 3.96 ERA, one save, 36 walks and 61 strikeouts in 63.2 innings. Like Mueller, Albarran was named a member of the All-Citrus Conference First Team.

Mueller and Albarran are joined by eight other players on the All-Citrus Conference First and Second Teams: Devin Parks (.370, 51 hits, five home runs and 36 RBI), Carlos Sanchez (.320, 63 hits, seven home runs and 55 RBI), Nik Periera (.351, 53 hits, 10 home runs and 41 RBI), Josiah Velazquez (2-2, 3.26 ERA, five saves, 10 walks and 43 strikeouts), Anthony Ruocco (.374, 70 hits, two home runs and 39 RBI), Luke Orfi (.342, 67 hits, six home runs and 37 RBI), Brock Knoerr (.338, 47 hits and 32 RBI) and Andrew McLaughlin (5-3, 3.12 ERA, 18 walks and 47 strikeouts).

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be provided by GameChanger and all games will air on the FCSAA Digital Network.

Livestats Link - https://web.gc.com/teams/n7j7U9bdJC3t/2025-spring-state-college-of-florida

Livestream Link - https://team1sports.com/fcsaa/?B=2408936

SCF Baseball Sweeps Niceville Regional, Advances to Final Four

Niceville, Fla - The #25 SCF baseball team (37-19) have officially punched their ticket to the final four of the NJCAA Region 8 State Baseball Tournament as they defeated #18 Northwest Florida State (32-17) 11-6 in the Niceville Regional. 

"I'm really happy for the guys and proud of the effort they gave up here," said head coach Tim Hill II. "It's not an easy thing to do to sweep somebody up at their place where both games were a battle. I'm happy for the guys in our program to be back in the final four again. We're looking to keep getting better so we can make a run next weekend in Port Charlotte."

"I thought the team played great," said sophomore Luke Boykin. "The energy was through the roofs from the first pitch of the series to the last. We really wanted the win. Through all of it, it feels good but the job isn't finished. Winning this upcoming weekend will be better."

"Overall, I feel we played great this weekend," said freshman Austin Monahan. "The pitchers threw well and the hitters put up plenty of run support. All in all, it was a great experience to win the regional and go to the final four.

Hill II sent freshman Aidan Ray (4-2, 4.29 ERA) to the mound, while Northwest Florida State head coach Doug Martin went with freshman Thomas Conrad (7-3, 2.73 ERA) to counter.

The Manatees, who were the home team for game two of the regionals, would open on the board first in the bottom of the first. After freshman Mattie Counts reached on a fielding error and classmate Myles Davis hit an infield single, sophomore Luke Boykin would once again show off his power as he sent a three-run homer to center for his 17th of the season and give SCF a 3-0 lead.

After the second inning went scoreless, the Manatees would increase their lead as Boykin began the bottom of the third with a leadoff solo home run to center for his 18th of the season and second of the game. Two batters later, sophomore Mario Trivella would reach second on fielding error before sophomore Hayden Gustavson chopped an infield single to the pitcher to bring in Trivella and advance to second on an error to make it 5-0 SCF.

At the top of the fourth, the Raiders would get their first run on the board as sophomore David Alvarez would send a solo home run to left for his ninth of the season, but the Manatees would respond back in the bottom half of the inning beginning with a leadoff single by freshman Will Rawls and Counts drawing a walk. After Boykin drew a walk to load the bases, freshman Holden Brauner would line a single towards the second baseman to bring in Rawls before Counts and Boykin scored on a fielding error to make it 8-1 SCF.

At the top of the fifth, the Raiders added to their run count as Alvarez would hit an RBI single. One inning later, Northwest Florida State would cut the lead to 8-6 as freshman Tristan Bittle would send a grand slam to left for his first collegiate home run of the season. After a run reached base on a fielding error, Hill II would pull Ray and send freshman Austin Monahan to the mound for a relief appearance where he was able to get out of the sixth.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Manatees would put the final runs on the board beginning with back-to-back walk drawn by Trivella and Gustavson before the Raiders made a pitching change. After the change, sophomore Connor O'Sullivan would bunt and reach base on a throwing error as Trivella and Gustavson scored. One batter later, Counts would bring in O'Sullivan with sacrifice fly to make it 11-6. From there, with a final pop out to Trivella, the Manatees would seal the win in the Niceville Regionals.

Ray would improve to 5-2 after giving up six runs on five hits with six walks and five strikeouts in five and two-thirds innings. Monahan would throw three and a third scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts.

"I felt great on the mound," said Monahan. The biggest thing was I had confidence that no matter where the ball was hit, my guys behind me were making the play."

"Aidan Ray did some good things and gave us a chance to win and Austin Monahan was terrific retiring all 10 batters he faced," said Hill II on Ray and Monahan.

Conrad would fall to 7-5 after giving up eight runs (four earned) on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts in four innings. Sophomore Jackson Evers gave up two runs on one hit with two walks and two strikeouts in two innings of relief, while classmate Joe Wittig gave up one unearned run on two hits with two strikeouts in two innings of relief.

Four players had a multi-hit game for the Manatees. It was Boykin that would lead the way in hitting and offense as he went 2-for-4 with two home runs, three runs scored, four RBI and a walk. 

"I coud feel the positive energy from my teammmates at the plate," said Boykin on his batting. "When you got your guys backing you up like that, it makes it easier to put the batt on the ball. I was just happy I could do what I could to help us win."

Davis would follow going 2-for-5 with one run scored, while Brauner went 2-for-5 with an RBI and Rawls rounded out the order going 2-for-4 with a run. Gustavson had the remaining hit as he went 1-for-3 with a run.

For the Raiders, Alvarez lead the way in hitting as he went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI, while Bittle lead the way offensively going 1-for-5 with a grand slam. Fielding-wise, the Raiders had seven errors in the game compared to the Manatees one.

Notes:

With his hits in the game, Davis extends his hitting streak to 17 games.

Other Regional Scores:

Central Florida (36-16) defeated #11 Indian River State (34-16) 12-1 in five innings to complete the Fort Pierce Regional.

#7 Florida Southwestern (40-14) defeated Pensacola State (27-20) 11-3 in seven innings in the Fort Myers Regional and force game three Sunday, May 4 at 1 pm.

#12 Gulf Coast State (34-14) defeated Miami Dade (31-22) 12-0 in seven innings in the Panama City Regional to force game three Sunday, May 4 at 2 pm (1 pm central).

Up Next:

The Manatees will await the winner between #7 Florida Southwestern and Pensacola State in the third game of the Fort Myers Regional.

SCF BVB Closes Season with Runner-Up Finish

Huntsville, Ala - The SCF beach volleyball team (16-7) closed out the season with a runner-up finish in the NJCAA National Beach Volleyball Championship at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama. The Manatees would defeat Lake Sumter State (12-16) 3-2 in the semifinals before falling to Palm Beach State (27-6) 3-0 in the finals. Palm Beach State would win the National Beach Volleyball Championship for the third straight year.

"I'm very proud of this team," said athletic director and interim head coach Nick Cichielo. "They worked really hard to make it this far and I couldn't be any more prouder of them for their hard work and focus."

SCF vs Lake Sumter State:

The Manatees opened with redshirt freshman Bianca Guerrero and freshman Aryanna Spainhower defeating sophomore Rylee Martineau and redshirt freshman Sydney Pickle 21-10, 21-13 at the #5 pair. After the Lakehawks took the #4 pair, sophomore Aleksandra Wrobel and freshman Emma Acedo Lapieza would defeat sophomore Braelyn Mittauer and freshman Sydney Cooper 24-22, 21-15 at the #1 pair.

With two matches left, both the #2 and #3 pairs were forced to a third set. The Lakehawks would take the #2 pair, but sophomore Morgan McGuire and freshman Liepa Kucinskaite would defeat sophomore Cecelia Calton and redshirt freshman Audrey Pickle in three sets (19-21, 21-14, 15-12) to advance the Manatees to the finals.

Palm Beach State defeated Mesa CC (17-11) 3-0 to advance to the finals of the championship.

Consolation Brackets:

Following the main bracket, the teams that lost in the quarterfinals would play in a consolation bracket to determine who would finish between fifth and last place. Eventually, Richard Bland (15-12) would defeat Sandhills CC (9-22) 3-0 to finish in fifth place while Trindad State (4-25) defeated Wake Tech (4-23) 3-0 to take seventh place. Sandhills CC would finish in sixth place and Wake Tech CC would finish in last place.

3rd Place Bracket:

Mesa CC would defeat Lake Sumter State 3-2 to finish in third place in the championship. Lake Sumter would finish in fourth place in the championship for the second straight year.

SCF vs Palm Beach State:

The Panthers would ultimately take straight sets against the #2, #3 and #4 pairs to win the championship.

Notes:

With her one win, Wrobel would finish her SCF career with 38 wins, while Acedo Lapieza bumped up to 20 wins and remains seventh all-time.

McGuire's lone win against Lake Sumter State put her at 23 career wins as she finishes sixth all-time in her career.

NJCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament Final Placings:

1. Palm Beach State *

2. SCF ^

3. Mesa CC

4. Lake Sumter

5. Richard Bland

6. Sandhills

7. Trinidad State

8. Wake Tech CC

* National Champions

^National Runner-Up

Up Next:

This concludes the season for SCF as they will take time to do recruiting for the 2026 season.

SCF BVB Advances to the National Semifinals

Huntsville, Ala - The SCF beach volleyball team (15-6) finished pool play at 2-1 after falling 3-2 to Lake Sumter State (12-14) before moving on to the semifinals after beating Richard Bland College (13-12) 3-2 on day two of the NJCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama.

SCF vs Lake Sumter State:

The Manatees would open on the board first as sophomore Aleksandra Wrobel and freshman Emma Acedo Lapieza would defeat sophomore Braelyn Mittauer and freshman Sophia Cooper 21-16, 21-15 at the #1 spot, but the Lakehawks would ultimately win on pairs #2, #3 and #4 to go 3-0 in pool play. Redshirt freshman Bianca Guerrero and freshman Aryanna Spainhower would give the Manatees their second point as they defeated sophomore Rylee Martineau and redshirt freshman Sydney Pickle in three sets (21-12, 20-22, 15-13) at the #5 pair. As a result of the loss, the Manatees were listed as the #3 seed in the bracket.

In the remainder of pool play, Sandhills CC (8-21) defeated Wake Tech (4-21) 4-1, Palm Beach State (25-6) shutout Richard Bland 5-0 and Mesa (16-10) defeated Trinidad State (3-24) 4-1.

SCF vs Richard Bland:

Wrobel and Acedo Lapieza would open with a 21-13, 21-9 win over sophomore Phoebe Heath and freshman Lovina Teel at the #1 spot. The Stateswomen would then take a 2-1 lead after securing wins at the #2 and #3 pairs.

With two matches left, the Manatees would not give up as Guerrero and Spainhower would defeat freshmen Aliyah Milner and Rachel Pickens 21-15, 21-14 at the #5 pair spot before sophomore Shelby Pillow and freshman Isabela Cardenas Estrella sealed the Manatees' victory at the #4 pair spot with 21-12, 21-18 victory over freshmen Braelyn Boyd and Rachelle Martin.

Notes:

With her two wins, Wrobel now has 37 career wins in program history.

Acedo Lapieza's two wins bumped her to 19 in her careers as she surpassed Anna Chechelynstka (18, 2022), Kayla Gentry (18, 2023-24) and Amanda Goudinho Pizzol (18, 2023-24) for seventh all-time.

Other Tournament Scores:

Mesa CC 3, Sandhills CC 0

Palm Beach State 3, Wake Tech 0

Lake Sumter 3, Trinidad State 0

Day Three Schedule:

Main Bracket - 

Palm Beach State vs Mesa CC (@ 10:15 am/9:15 am central)

SCF vs Lake Sumter State (@ 10:15 am/9:15 am central)

Consolation Bracket - 

Wake Tech vs Sandhills (@ 9 am/8 am central)

Trinidad State vs Richard Bland (@ 9 am/8 am central)

Up Next:

The Manatees will take on Lake Sumter State in the semifinals Saturday morning, May 3 at 10:15 am. If they win, then they will play the winner between Palm Beach State and Mesa CC at 12:45 pm (11:45 am central) in the championship bracket. If they lose, then they will play the loser in the third place bracket.

SCF BVB Opens Strongly at Nationals

Huntsville, Ala - The SCF beach volleyball team (14-5) opened up strongly on day one of the NJCAA National Beach Volleyball Tournament as they shutout both Wake Tech CC (4-19) and Sandhills CC (7-20) by a score of 5-0.

"The team was really solid all the way around," said athletic director and interim head coach Nick Cichielo. "I thought all the pairs were very much in control and seemed to play within themselves while working together, so I was very happy with what I saw today"

SCF vs Wake Tech:

The Manatees opened up against Wake Tech with a bang as sophomore Aleksandra Wrobel and freshman Emma Acedo Lapieza would defeat sophomore Gabi Carter and freshman Chloe Stein 21-13, 21-8 at the #1 spot. After sophomore Morgan McGuire and freshman Liepa Kucinskaite defeated freshmen Mary Barnes and Marlaina Vicente 21-13, 21-10 at the #3 spot, redshirt freshman Bianca Guerrero and freshman Aryanna Spainhower would defeat freshman Skylar Bakowski and Morgan Barnes 21-10, 21-13 at the #5 spot to seal the overall victory.

With two matches remaining, sophomore Shelby Pillow and freshman Isabela Cardenas Estrella would then defeat freshmen Amber Bittner and Madison Fisher 21-13, 21-19 at the #4 spot before sophomore Addison Beaver and freshman Taylor Orris defeated sophomores Abby Carver and Olivia Garzelloni in three sets (20-22, 21-12, 15-8) to complete the sweep.

SCF vs Sandhills:

A few hours after their match with Wake Tech, the Manatees would remain on a hot streak as Beaver and Orris would open with a 21-6, 21-10 win over sophomore Jenna Laquer and Caroline Bradford at the #2 spot. After McGuire and Kucinskaite defeated sophomore Lainey Mullins and freshman Reagan Smith 21-8, 21-11 at the #3 spot, Wrobel and Acedo Lapieza would seal the victory with a 21-16, 21-8 win over sophomore Aydan Bullard and Nikki Lambert at the #1 spot.

Guerrero and Spainhower would then defeat freshman Emery Freeman and Jacque Holden 21-16, 21-10 at the #4 spot before Pillow and Cardenas Estrella defeated sophomore Zoey Hall and freshman Katelyn Bunting 23-21, 21-16 at the #4 spot to complete the sweep.

Notes:

With her two wins in pool play, Wrobel now has 35 wins in her career.

Beaver's two wins in pool play put her at 30 career wins and she becomes the third Manatee to reach 30 career wins.

McGuire's two wins in pool play put her at 22 and needs four to surpass Ana Broadhead (25, 2021-22) for fifth all-time.

Other NJCAA Scores:

Lake Sumter State (10-14) 5, Sandhills CC 0 

Lake Sumter 4, Wake Tech 4-1

Palm Beach State (23-6) 5, Trinidad State (3-22) 0

Palm Beach State 5, Mesa CC (14-10) 0

Mesa CC 3, Richard Bland (13-10) 2

Richard Bland 3, Trinidad State 2

Pool Standings:

Pool A -

(#1) Palm Beach State (2-0)

(#4) Richard Bland (1-1)

(#5) Mesa CC (1-1)

(#8) Trinidad State (0-2)

Tri

Pool B - 

(#2) SCF (2-0)

(#3) Lake Sumter State (2-0)

(#7) Wake Tech CC (0-2)

(#6) Sandhills CC (0-2)

Day Two Schedule:

Trinidad State vs Mesa CC (@8 am)

Wake Tech CC vs Sandhills CC (@8 am) 

Palm Beach State vs Richard Bland (@ 9:30 am)

SCF vs Lake Sumter State (@9:30 am)

Up Next:

The Manatees will wrap up pool play as they play Lake Sumter State Friday morning, May 2 at 9:30 am. From there, they will find out who they will play in the main bracket.

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 4-0 in Pool Play

Huntsville, Ala - The SCF beach volleyball team (12-6) are now guaranteed a spot in the championship bracket of the NJCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama as they shutout Trinidad State (1-13) 5-0 before defeating Mesa CC (15-13) 3-2.

SCF vs Trinidad State:

The sophomore duo of Kayla Gentry and Rhea Kohl would open the door with a 21-15, 21-9 set win over freshmen Ellie Ames and Deniz Yileri at the #1 court. Classmates Bailee Perry and Isabella Rebimbas would follow with a two-set decision of their own winning 21-13, 21-6 over sophomore Neveah Martinez and freshman Raeann Savage on the #5 court before freshmen Aleksandra Wrobel and Addison Beaver sealed the decider with a 21-16, 21-14 win over freshmen Claire Johnson and Sophia Quizon on the #3 court.

As played continued, sophomore Amanda Goudinho Pizzol and freshman Teresa Briefeneder defeated sophomores Anna Jasinsky and Eimaya Medina 21-19, 21-18 on the #3 court before sophomore Caelan Cook and freshman Morgan McGuire sealed the sweep with a three-set decision over freshman Amya Speller and sophomore Nikolina Werbick by a score of 21-14, 11-21, 15-5.

SCF vs Mesa:

Wrobel and Beaver would once again open with a victory on the #2 court by a score of 21-14, 21-11. The Thunderbirds would then tie the series after Kohl and Gentry fell at the #1 court.

With three matches left, Cook and McGuire would win on the #4 court 21-17, 21-7 before Perry and Rebimbas won on the #5 court with a 21-15 pair decision to seal the victory. The Thunderbirds would secure the final match on the #3 court over Goudinho Pizzol and Briefeneder.

Other NJCAA Scores:

Richard Bland (23-12) defeated Lake Sumter State (12-15) 4-1 and Gaston College (9-23) 5-0 while Lake Sumter State defeated Gaston College 4-1.

Palm Beach State (21-8) shutout Bryant and Stratton (0-7) and Sandhills CC (13-17) 5-0 while Sandhills CC defeated Bryant and Stratton 4-1.

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to focus on the championship bracket Saturday morning, May 4 at 10:30 am. As a result of going 4-0 in pool play, the Manatees will be listed as the #2 seed and will await the winner of the 9 am match between Richard Bland (#3 seed) and Sandhills CC (#6 seed).

Bracket Schedule:

Consolation Pool - 

Gaston vs Trinidad State @ 10 am (9 am Central)

Gaston vs Bryant and Stratton @ 2 pm (1 pm Central)

Bryant and Stratton vs Trinidad State @ 4:30 pm (3:30 pm Central)

Championship Bracket - 

Quarterfinals:

#3 seed Richard Bland vs #6 seed Sandhills CC @ 9 am (8 am Central)

#4 seed Mesa CC vs #5 seed Lake Sumter State @ 9 am (8 am Central)

5th place Bracket - 

Match One Loser vs Match Two Loser @ 2 pm (1 pm Central)

Semifinals - 

#1 Palm Beach State vs Match One Winner @ 11:30 am (10:30 am Central)

#2 SCF vs Match Two Winner @ 11:30 am (10:30 am Central)

3rd Place Bracket - 

Match Three Loser vs Match Four Loser @ 3:15 pm (2:15 pm Central)

Championship Bracket - 

Match Three Winner vs Match 4 Winner @ 4:30 pm (3:30 pm Central)

SCF BVB Sweeps Pool Play of Nationals

Huntsville, Ala - The SCF beach volleyball team (10-6) started off strong in pool play on day one of the NJCAA Beach Volleyball Championship at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama as they shutout Bryant and Stratton (0-6) 5-0 before defeating Richard Bland (21-12) 3-2.

“This team has been growing during the season,” said head coach Eunyce Vercosa. “All the players' being has been so important for the team and I feel grateful as a coach for this amazing team we created this season.”

“I think the team did pretty well, even though some of us were not playing the way they wanted,” said sophomore Amanda Gaudinho Pizzol “Overall, we did what we needed to do, despite the hours of travel we had.”

“Overall, I thought we did well,” said freshman Teresa Briefeneder. “The first matchup was a slow start for us after a long bus trip, but it was good to come out on top and win all five matches as a team. In the second match, I thought we played well together today. We struggled in previous games, but it was really nice that we could push each other and take the best of each other to get the win.”

SCF vs Bryant and Stratton:

Sophomores Kayla Gentry and Rhea Kohl defeated sophomore Morgan Neitzell and freshman Mia Lenius 21-5, 21-7 on the #1 court. Perry and Rebimbas would follow with a 21-9, 21-4 win over freshmen Addison Miller and Melissa Lynn Bruhn on the #5 court before Gaudinho Pizzol and Briefeneder sealed the victory with a 21-7, 21-8 over freshmen Allison Erhlich the #3 court.

Play would resume as Cook and McGuire defeated freshman Philomena Hall and Paxton Longseth 21-9, 21-11 at the #4 court before freshmen Addison Beaver and Aleksandra Wrobel defeated freshmen Cayce Farrell and Michaela Reige 21-18, 21-8 at the #2 court.

Prior to SCF's win, Richard Bland shutout Bryant and Stratton 5-0.

SCF vs Richard Bland College:

Gentry and Kohl would once again put to the challenge at the #1 court against sophomore Sarah Heath and Jordan Schlageter, but with a strong focus, Gentry and Kohl would take down the reigning NJCAA Region 10 Pair of the Year with a 21-13 pair decision. This would put the Statesmen on edge as Perry and Rebimbas would fall to freshman Phoebe Heath and Peyton Osetenson at the #5 court 21-18, 21-14 before they took the lead after Beaver and Wrobel fell to sophomore Leilani Goggin and freshman Alexis Scipione in three sets (21-10, 19-21, 10-15) at the #2 court.

All eyes turned towards the final two courts that were also in three sets. Gaudinho Pizzol and Briefeneder, who struggled in the first set before making a comeback in the second set, would face them in a battle with sophomore Morgan Green and freshman Kiley Pickett at the #3 court. A costly mistake on Richard Bland's side would give Gaudinho Pizzol and Briefeneder a momentum change as they took the final two points and win in three sets (21-19, 21-15, 17-15).

On the final court, Cook and McGuire fought valiantly and were able to defeat freshmen Addison White and Aubrey Hyndshaw in three sets on the #4 court (21-16, 20-22, 15-13) to give the Manatees the victory.

Other NJCAA Tournament Scores:

Palm Beach State (19-8) shutout Gaston College (9-21) and Mesa CC (12-12) both by a score of 5-0.

Lake Sumter State (11-14) shutout Sandhills CC (12-16) and Trinidad State (1-12) 5-0 while Sandhills CC defeated Trinidad State 4-1.

Up Next:

The Manatees will be back in action Friday morning, May 3 for a second round of pool play. They will face Trinidad State at 10:15 am before facing Mesa CC at 4:30 pm.

SCF BVB Set for Nationals

Bradenton, Fla - Despite a heartbreaking loss at the NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament, the SCF beach volleyball team (8-6) will make their dream a reality for a national championship as they will travel 10 hours northwest to compete in the three-day nine-team NJCAA Beach Volleyball Championship at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama May 2-4. The Manatees will open their part of the tournament with pool play against Bryant and Stratton (0-4) and Richard Bland (20-11). 

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of finishing third in the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament at the UMR Sports Complex in Lakewood Ranch. They would defeat Lake Sumter State 3-2 in their opening match before falling 3-2 to eventual winners and defending champions Palm Beach State. They would try to go for the second automatic qualifying spot against Lake Sumter State, but they would fall 3-1.

Despite finishing third in the tournament, the Manatees were able to secure a spot in the national tournament as an at-large bid.

NJCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament Breakdown:

The NJCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament will be a nine-team tournament that is put into three pools of play. All three pools will play a series of round robin matches to determine the seed order of the tournament. Following round robin play

Palm Beach State (17-8) is the defending champions after winning the inaugural tournament last year.

Qualifying Teams:

Aside from their fellow conference members in Palm Beach State and Lake Sumter State (9-14), the following is the list of teams that will join the Manatees in the national tournament and the pool order:

Richard Bland (20-11) - Region 10*

Gaston College (9-19) - Region 10*

Sandhills (11-15) - Region 10*

Mesa (11-11) - Region 1*

Bryant and Stratton (WI) (0-4) - Region 4*

Trinidad State (1-10) - Region 9*

*Automatic Qualifier

Pool 1 -

Palm Beach State

Mesa

Gaston

Pool 2 -

Lake Sumter

Sandhills CC

Trinidade State

Pool 3 -

Richard Bland

SCF

Bryant and Stratton

Pairs Domination:

Leading the way our of the pairs is sophomore Kayla Gentry and freshman Rhea Kohl. Gentry and Kohl, who play as the #1 pair, are currently 11-2 overall as a pair. 

The freshman duo of Aleksandra Wrobel and Addison Beaver follow as they are 11-0 at the #3 spot. In fact, they are the only pair for the Manatees that are unbeaten.

Scouting Richard Bland:

Richard Bland College hails from Petersburg, Virginia and represents NJCAA Region 10. They are lead by head coach Stephanie Champine, who enters her second season as head coach.

The Statesmen are coming off of finishing first in the conference play as the regular season champions before winning the NJCAA Region 10 State Tournament after defeating Spartanburg Methodist (4-0) in semifinals and eventual runner-up Sandhill Community College (3-0).

Leading the way is the sophomore duo of Sarah Heath and Jordan Schlageter. The pair, who play as the #1 pair, are 5-5 overall and were named the NJCAA Region 10 Pair of the Year.

Last season, the Manatees split with the Statesmen winning the first match 3-2 before losing the second match 3-1.

Scouting Bryant and Stratton:

Bryant and Stratton hail from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin and represent NJCAA Region 4. They are lead by head coach Heather Curley, who enters her fifth season as head coach.

The Lady Bobcats played four matches where they lost of their matches. Despite that, they qualified for the national tournament automatically as they were the only college in Wisconsin with a beach volleyball program.

Times of Matches:

5/2:

Palm Beach State vs Gaston CC @ 10 am (9 am Central)

Lake Sumter State vs Trinidad State @10 am (9 am Central)

Richard Bland vs Bryant and Stratton @10:15 am (9:15 am Central)

Sandhills vs Trinidad State @ 11:30 am (10:30 am Central)

Mesa vs Gaston CC @ 11:30 am (10:30 am Central)

SCF vs Bryant and Stratton @ 3 pm (2 pm Central)

Lake Sumter State vs Sandhills CC @4:15 pm (3:15 pm Central)

Palm Beach State vs Mesa CC @ 4:15 pm (3:15 pm Central)

SCF vs Richard Bland @ 4:30 pm (3:30 pm Central)

How to Keep Up:

All matches will air on the NJCAA Network. Fans can also keep up with the Manatees on all social media platforms:

Livestream Link - https://www.njcaa.org/network/landing/index

Social Media Links - 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SCFvolleyball/ (SCF Volleyball)

X - https://twitter.com/SCFVolleyball (@SCFVolleyball)

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scfbeachvolleyball/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D (@SCFBeachVolleyball)

SCF BVB Opens States with Split

Lakewood Ranch, Fla - The SCF beach volleyball team (8-5) were able to start off strong to open their portion of the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament at the UMR Sports Complex as they defeated Lake Sumter State (8-13) 3-2 before falling to Palm Beach State (16-8) 3-2.

FSCJ vs SJR:

On Thursday, St. John's River State (3-15) open the state tournament with a qualifier as they shutout Florida State College at Jacksonville (0-9) to face Palm Beach State in the next round.

PBSC vs SJR:

Following their victory over Florida State College at Jacksonville, Palm Beach State would shutout St. John's River 5-0 to advance to the winner's bracket, while the Vikings fell into the loser's bracket.

SCF vs Lake Sumter:

The Manatees would open with a quick victory as the freshmen duo of Aleksandra Wrobel and Addison Beaver defeated the duo of sophomores Cassidy Rountree and Leanne Blue 21-14, 21-13 at the #2 spot. The sophomore duo of Bailee Perry and Isabella Rebimbas would follow with a two-set victory over sophomores Berklee Andrews and Allie Cox 21-14, 21-11 at the #4 spot.

Needing only to clinch one more match, the duo of sophomore Kayla Gentry and freshman Rhea Kohl defeated sophomore Kaylee Hunt and Yarelis Lopez Osorio 21-7, 21-12 at the #1 spot to help the Manatees advance to the winner's bracket and face Palm Beach State.

Despite the Manatees winning the first three matches, play would resume as the Lakehawks would win at the #3 and #5 spots in three sets. The Lakehawks would move down to the loser's bracket.

LSSC vs SJR:

Following SCF's win, Lake Sumter would defeat St. John's River State 3-1 to advance in the loser's bracket while St. John's ended their season.

SCF vs PBSC:

The Manatees opened quickly with Wrobel and Beaver defeating the duo of Marilyn Cesaro and Aleksandra Hamuda at the #2 spot before Perry and Rebimbas defeated Giovanna Bock and Patrycja Kabala at the #4 spot, but the Panthers ultimately took the remaining pairs to advance to the finals of the tournament.

Up Next:

The Manatees would look to keep their playoff hopes alive as they face Lake Sumter in the loser's bracket Saturday morning, April 20 at 11 am. If they win, then they will automatically qualify for the NJCAA Beach Volleyball Championship in Huntsville, Alabama. If they lose, they will await for a chance for an at-large bid.