Prep Report: Island Coast nets first win
Strong serving from Suli Gonzalez lifted Island Coast to victory in the pivotal first game Thursday night, and the host Gators recorded their first varsity win over Cape Coral 27-25, 25-21, 18-25, 25-18.
“They were all all-stars tonight,” Gators coach Cheryl Stauffer said. “My team (of 11 players) is finally playing as a team and getting the fundamentals together.”
The Seahawks (0-2) are seeing contributions from several emerging players, too. Nine of the Seahawks’ 12 players had at least two kills against the Gators (1-2).
Junior Shannon McBride had 10 aces and sophomore Allison Harper had six aces for the Seahawks. Juniors Kristina Kraig and Jessica Highfill each finished with five kills.
Island Coast hosts Bishop Verot Tuesday while Cape hosts Fort Myers.
Fort Myers 3, North Fort Myers 0: The visiting Red Knights were unable to pull off the upset against Fort Myers, but showed a tough resolve, coach Jeremy Ridgeo said.
It led to some competitive action, particularly in game two.
“They’re well coached and bring a lot of power,” Ridgeo said of Fort Myers. “Overall, I thought we worked really hard and pushed it in game two, and got really close to stealing it.”
Sophomore Susie McKeever continued her strong start with 12 assists. Jessica Wagner (four blocks, five kills) and Miranda Ashby (three digs, three kills) pitched in for the Knights (1-1).
North begins play in the LaBelle Invitational Friday.
Ida Baker 3, South Fort Myers 1: The visiting Ida Baker Bulldogs withstood a series of difficult games and prevailed in an early-season showdown with South Fort Myers 25-23, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23.
It appeared that the Wolfpack might force a decisive fifth game after taking a 22-17 lead in the fourth, but the Bulldogs (2-0) rallied to close it out and win their first District 4A-11 match.
“When we got down a few, the team just scratched their way back. I’m proud of that,” Baker coach Rene Van Horn said. “They played with extreme focus and intensity.”
The Bulldogs exacted some revenge against the Wolfpack, who finished 16-7 last year and defeated the Bulldogs in four games in their only meeting.
The Bulldogs had a host of contributors, led by senior Chelsea Shafer (10 kills, four aces, 10 digs).
Taylor Van Horn (five kills, five digs), Chelsey Cline (10 digs), Deonnah Findley (five kills, 14 assists) and Taryn Maymon (eight blocks) chipped in for the Bulldogs, who host Estero Tuesday.
Everglades City 3, Oasis 0: The Oasis Sharks made their varsity debut, losing a hard-fought match to visiting Everglades City, 26-24, 25-13, 25-22.
Oasis is playing a mixed schedule of junior varsity and varsity matches.
The young squad does not have any seniors or juniors, and several players are either seventh or eighth graders.
“We have a good foundation,” said Sharks coach Ken Falvey.
Eighth grader Emma Nelson had two kills and two aces, leading the charge. Freshman Samantha Dressel contributed three aces and three digs.
The Sharks host Community Christian School in their next match Tuesday.
Estero, 3, Mariner 1: The Mariner Tritons dropped to 0-2 on the season, falling at Estero 25-12, 25-15, 15-25, 25-19.
Junior Samantha Greenwell had an all-around strong match for the Tritons with 16 assists, two aces and five kills, while junior Cody Sawyer tallied four aces, six digs and seven kills.
Mariner hosts Cypress Lake Tuesday.