Two Keys teams played for bragging rights on Sept. 19, and despite earning an early advantage in all three sets, Coral Shores lost to Key West 3-0. For the Conchs, Annie Scepkova was deadly with nine kills and five aces. Bridgette Sweeney and Gabrielle Garcia had eight kills apiece. Sweeney served the ’Canes four aces as well. Defensively, the Conchs combined for 57 digs with a dozen from Sweeney and 10 from Elise Warwick. Garcia, Sweeney and Audrey Smith also registered individual blocks for Key West.
The ’Canes did not go down easily. Brooke Mandozzi had 22 digs and Sofia Jans added 10, pacing the team in the back and keeping the sets close. Ivy Tiedemann also had a solid defensive showing for the Hurricanes.
“Losing Sabina (Naranjo) definitely hurt us,” Coral Shores coach Sam Ovalle said of the junior, who injured a finger early in the first set while diving for a ball. “Give Key West credit – they’re a very good team but this is a winnable game for us.” Ovalle will have a second shot when the teams meet again in Key West on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
After their tough loss to Key West, Coral Shores made light work of Mater Bay Academy on Sept. 21, beating the Rays 3-0 in a road win. The ’Canes boast an 8-4 record with an unblemished district showing of 4-0.
Following their in-county win over Coral Shores, Key West traveled to Miami to participate in the CM Cares Tournament hosted by Chaminade Madonna High School. The Conchs were pooled with some of the top teams in the state and held their own, but did not advance to the championship game.
Notably, Key West was pitted against Gulliver, ranked seventh in the state overall and first in district 4A. The Conchs had a tough first set but battled back in the second, coming within a few points of upsetting the Raiders. The high-caliber tournament play could prove valuable in the final games for Key West leading up to Districts. The Conchs have three very winnable games and one more tournament at the end of their regular season schedule.
Marathon hosted Somerset Silver Palms on Sept. 19, giving the Stallions a run for their money. The Fins lost three close sets, 25-19, 26-24 and 25-19. “Silver Palms was a tough one,” said coach Kelley Cruz. “We could have come away with a different outcome if we capitalized on their mistakes and minimized our own.” On the 22nd, the Dolphins traveled to Westwood Christian, again keeping the scores close but narrowly losing to the Warriors. Kayesha Christian and Jasmine Keomaniboth stood out on the court for Marathon, and Cruz added that “everyone played pretty evenly” in Friday’s game. The Fins will have a second shot at Westwood on Friday, Oct. 6, this time on their home court.
