The Key West Lady Conchs wrapped up their regular season on the volleyball court with a 3-1 victory over Marathon Oct. 7, closing out their campaign with a 7-18 record. Playing on their home court for Senior Night, the Conchs came out swinging, taking the opening set 25-11. But the Lady Fins refused to go quietly, battling back to claim a hard-fought 25-23 victory in set two. Key West regained control in the third, winning 25-16, then slammed the door on the Dolphins with a decisive 25-7 fourth set to seal the Senior Night win.
The Coral Shores Hurricanes closed out their regular season with a formidable 21-3 record after sweeping Keys Gate Oct. 5. The ’Canes dominated from the service line, delivering 15 aces as a team, including four from Celene Walker. Walker was flawless on serve all night, adding four kills and five digs to her stat line. Alex Burson, Abby Leigh, Lela Goodrich and Alejandra Aguilar were also perfect from the service line.
Coralyn Frimpter led the offensive charge with 13 kills, adding an ace and eight digs. Jillian Thiery contributed two blocks, three kills and an ace, while Leigh kept the offense running smoothly with 26 assists.
Marathon closed out its regular season with a loss to Keys Gate Oct. 9, finishing at 7-14.
With the regular season in the books, all three Keys teams now turn their attention to the postseason, though their paths to district titles look decidedly different.
Coral Shores entered the 3A District 16 tournament as the No. 4 seed despite an undefeated 6-0 record against district opponents during the regular season. The Hurricanes opened quarterfinal play on Oct. 12 by dispatching fifth-seeded Somerset Silver Palms for the third time this season, 3-1. The victory over the Stallions set up a semifinal showdown with top-seeded Gulliver Prep on Oct. 13 at Gulliver (results not available at press time). The Raiders present a formidable challenge, ranked fourth overall in Florida across all classifications and second in Class 3A.
Key West, meanwhile, drew the No. 7 seed in the same district and faced an uphill battle of its own. The Conchs traveled to second-seeded Ransom Everglades Oct. 12 for their quarterfinal matchup, but came up short on the road in a 3-0 loss.
Despite their final loss, the Dolphins entered the 1A Rural District tournament as the No. 2 seed, earning a first-round bye into the semifinals. Marathon traveled to Moore Haven Oct. 14 to face the Terriers, with a win sending the Fins to the district championship the following night, also at Moore Haven (results not available at press time).
Photo by ROCKY GONET/Keys Weekly
