The North Fort Myers volleyball team saw its 2024 season end the same way it began. Only the venue had changed.

On Saturday, the Red Knights were handed their walking papers in the semifinals of the Region 5A-3 championship in a straight set loss at Port Charlotte, 25-19, 25-9, 25-14.

North Fort Myers (16-6) saw too much of Port Charlotte star hitter Nygeria Hart, whose 16 kills and 16 digs led Port Charlotte. The Pirates also rang up double digit runs in the second and third sets that put those sets and the match out of reach.

North coach Nancy Eskay said it was a rough day for her team, adding that her team simply got beat by a better team.

“I don’t think we played our best game, but I have to tip my hat to Port Charlotte. They’re a great program, they have nine seniors, they minimized their errors and we did the best we could against him,” Eskay said.

After winning their first-round match in four sets against St. Petersburg at home, the fourth-seeded Red Knights had to go 30 miles north to face the top-seeded Pirates.

Port Charlotte (18-8) opened its season with a four-set win at North, and expected its district rivals to give them another tough battle.

And the Red Knights did, for a while. Unfortunately, the Pirates found their groove and North Fort Myers made too many hitting errors early which cost them the first set.

They also had problems with return of serve, which helped Grace Parent and Hanna Hall ring up runs of 12-0 and 10-0, respectively, to blow everything wide open.

The Red Knights also had no answer to Hart, who just got stronger as the match continued, with seven kills in the final set which brought her career kill total to 1,000.

Despite the disappointing ending, there is good news on the horizon. North has only three seniors, with just one having played for Eskay all four years.

Anna Byrne, the team’s leading hitter, returns, along with middle backs, sophomore Amari’Yonna Jennings, who led the team in blocks, and junior Madyson LaMay.

Sophomore libero Harley Mendez led the team in digs and will also return, as will assist leader, setter Aliyah Santiago.

This abundance of underclassmen presents a window of opportunity for the Red Knights for perhaps bigger and better things in 2025.

However, for the seniors, it was the end of a great run of excellence. Mya Boyd-Kiphart was a little misty following the match, knowing her high school career was over, but was confident she helped leave the program better for those who remain.

“There’s a lot of love on this team. We always support each other. On the court, you’re pushing your team and keeping them together. All you can do is put your best foot forward,” Boyd-Kiphart said. “All the younger girls have played together for a long time and there’s a lot of chemistry. I think the future looks good.”