With playoffs on the horizon, Monroe County squads sharpened their game against familiar faces to close out September.
Marathon split the week with a win and a loss, rolling to a 6-10 record as teams head into the final week of the regular season. The Lady Fins traveled to Posnack on Sept. 23, where they overpowered the Rams 25-15 in the first set but lost momentum, eventually falling 3-1.
The following day, Marathon packed the vans again, this time traveling to Horeb Christian, where they had no problems overcoming the Mustangs in straight sets. Shaina Robinson fired off seven aces and eight kills while Kaya Hughes-Struyf added four aces and eight kills to bring home the win. The Fins remain unbeaten in their 1A District 8 Rural classification.
Also unbeaten in their district are the Hurricanes, who continued to dominate their opponents last week. Coral Shores dispatched Somerset South Homestead Sept. 22 in a 3-1 road win that highlighted the ’Canes’ multitalented roster. Sophomore Coralyn Frimpter hammered 19 kills and added 10 digs, a block, an ace and a 100% serve percentage. Senior Celene Walker added a dozen kills, 18 digs and a pair of aces while Jillian Thiery added six more kills to the team total of 41.
Coach Sam Ovalle had plenty of praise for sophomore Miracle Woods, who he deemed the team’s defensive specialist.
“She isn’t afraid to go after the tough balls,” he said.
Ovalle also credited his libero, Alex Buirson, for being a game-changer. “Alex plays with heart and gives everything she has for the team,” Ovalle said.
Two nights later, Key West made the trip to Tavernier with hopes of avenging an early-season loss to the Hurricanes. But the ’Canes proved their earlier win was no fluke, beating the Conchs in straight sets behind more strong performances from the Coral Shores roster.
Frimpter led the way with 13 kills, four digs, an ace and a block. Walker fired off 10 kills, a pair of aces, two assists and 10 digs in the win, while Abby Leigh set things up for the Hurricanes with 21 assists, 21 digs, three aces and a pair of kills.
The team’s nine total aces against a talented Key West front highlighted Coral Shores’ strength at the service line.
Coral Shores closed out the week on Sept. 26 with another sweep, taking down Somerset College Prep 3-0 to improve to 18-3 heading into the final week of the regular season.
After coming up short against Coral Shores, Key West turned its attention to a busy weekend at the Florida Christian tournament.
The Conchs opened tournament play on Sept. 25 against Immaculata-LaSalle, battling past the Royal Lions in an opening set that needed extra points to decide before dropping the next two in a 2-1 loss. Key West returned to the court later that evening against St. Brendan, falling to the Sabres 2-1 before closing out tournament play on Sept. 26 with a 2-0 loss to True North Classical Academy.
With regular-season schedules winding down, district action begins Oct. 12. Coral Shores and Key West will enter the 3A District 16 bracket, where the two Keys rivals could meet again. Marathon will take a different postseason path, competing in the 1A Rural classification.
