The Hurricanes started their season off 3-0, extending their early-season streak by two last week with wins over Somerset South Homestead and Mater Bay Academy. Coral Shores beat South Homestead 3-1 on Aug. 25 with heavy hitting and exemplary play from the service line.
Celene Walker registered 11 kills and 13 digs in the win. Niveah Howard had eight kills and a block and Shelby Lynn added to her stats with a pair of kills, 21 assists, five digs and an ace. Ivy
Tiedemann had a perfect serve percentage to complement her 19 digs, three assists, ace and kill.
Two nights later, the ’Canes beat Mater Bay in three sets, sending the visiting Rays home after holding Mater to just 22 points. Five Hurricanes were 100% in serve percentage, with perfect performances from Walker, Violet Matthews, Tiedemann, Coralyn Frimpter and Abby Leigh. Leigh also registered nine assists, an ace and three digs. Matthews scored four aces, five digs and six kills and Frimpter added seven kills, a block and four aces.
The Hurricanes had strong stats across their entire lineup and headed into their match against Key West with an unblemished record on Aug. 28. Unfortunately for Coral Shores, they faced a different Key West than they had seen in the preseason.
The Lady Conchs evened their record to 3-3 last week with a pair of wins, and their next order of business was to hand Coral Shores their first loss of the season. After a preseason test of her lineup, Conchs coach Kim Butler found the winning combination, and that made all the difference in the score.
“We still have some things to work on, but we played smoother and the lineup is settled and it shows,” she said.
After some trial and error, Butler moved Audrey Smith from the outside back to the middle, a position where she said Smith is “just too effective” to move elsewhere. Also in the Conchs’ favor was the return of Gabrielle Garcia, who Butler assesses is back at about 80% after an injury sidelined her for several months. Garcia’s passing is a crucial component to Key West’s explosive offense and will only improve as she returns to her full capabilities. Butler also credited Molly McKnight with effectively running the offense. The trio, all seniors, have provided excellent leadership thus far.
After beating Coral Shores in three sets on Aug. 28, Key West turned their talents toward 6A Bartow. The Conchs beat the Yellowjackets in three sets two days later. Last week’s games were the beginning of a home-court stretch that will last through Sept. 18, and the team won’t travel outside Monroe County again until Oct. 2.
Basilica School split the week with one win and one loss, putting them at 4-3 so far this season. The win came at home in three sets against Horeb Christian on Aug. 29. The following afternoon, they played Bartow and managed to win set number three, but ultimately fell 3-1 to the Yellowjackets.
Marathon is still on the hunt for their first win of the season. A match scheduled for Aug. 25 was canceled, giving the Lady Fins just one chance last week to earn a W, but it was not to be. A trip to David Posnack Jewish Day School Aug. 27 led to a 3-0 loss to the Rams.
