Island Coast holds off Cape 3-1
As the Island Coast Gators continued to see their lead dwindle in Thursday’s high school volleyball match at Cape High, coach Cheryl Stauffer sent out many desperate pleas to her players, including the appropriate question, “Do you want it?”
Stauffer realizes how important attitude and focus is with her youthful squad, which does not have a single senior.
“When we get down, we make mistakes,” she said. “Once we get up, we’re a good team.”
The Gators had one more surge left late in game four and managed to hold off the Seahawks 25-12, 25-23, 21-25, 25-21, rather than continue on to a decisive fifth game.
It’s the second win of the season for the Gators over their city rivals, but it was a tight battle from start to finish.
The Gators (5-14) took the first two games only to see the Seahawks (1-15) rally to win game three and hold a 19-15 lead in game four, before the Gators rallied to clinch it.
Though it required a team effort from both sides, the Gators received a strong all-around performance from sophomore Dana Ruff.
With the score tied 9-9 in the opening game, Ruff reeled off nine straight service points. She finished with seven aces and 18 digs.
The Seahawks were led by junior Jennifer Le, who took advantage of more kill opportunities from the second game on, and ended with nine. Junior Erica Hoegler had five kills, and senior Shannon McBride contributed eight aces.
McBride, the lone senior on the Seahawks, was honored before the match on senior night, along with senior team manager Katrina Weicht, a former player for the Seahawks.
“(McBride) has provided leadership, humor and work ethic,” Cape coach Lindsey Conley said. “She is coachable, someone you want on your team.”
In game one, the teams were tied six times early on with the last coming at 9-9. That’s when Ruff stepped to the serving line and started a 16-3 closing run for the Gators.
Game two was on the table for both teams. It featured 10 ties and after the score reached 13-13, neither team led by more than two the rest of the way. Island Coast’s Joanna Null converted a tap to make it 24-22 and the Gators held on to take a two-set lead.
The Seahawks clung to a 15-14 lead in game three when McBride took charge at the serving line with five straight aces. The Gators called timeout to try and break up her rhythm, but McBride continued until the Seahawks led 21-14.
The Seahawks squandered an opportunity to force a fifth game after they led for the majority of game four. The Gators trailed 19-15 when they mounted a 10-2 run. Suli Gonzales had two aces for the Gators during that finishing stretch and Ruff hit a shot on match point that the Seahawks failed to return.
Though the Seahawks fought back from down two sets to one, Conley said they’re still striving for consistency, which proved costly in game four.
“My team is very young,” Conley said. “They need to grow in the game of volleyball and learn how to finish.”
The Seahawks play at the Canterbury Tournament Friday and Saturday. The Gators host Fort Myers Monday.
Ida Baker 3, North Fort Myers 0: Chelsea Shafer delivered 11 kills and served seven points to go with three digs to help lead Ida Baker to a 25-22, 25-12, 26-24 victory over North Fort Myers.
Taylor Van Horn added nine kills and eight service points while Taryn Maymon contributed six blocks and Kali Nordquist served up 11 points for the Bulldogs (12-5), who face Charlotte and Evangelical Christian Friday in the two-day Triton Tourney at Mariner.
Sports editor Jim Linette contributed to this report.