Key West
The Lady Conchs started their week in Tavernier, beating Coral Shores 3-0, then worked on preparing for another round of high-level tournament play, this time at home. Key West hosted the Conch Cup Tournament, inviting 6A Martin County, 7A Palm Beach Central and 5A Pasco. On Sept. 16 the Conchs lost a close one to the Martin County Tigers, losing 2-1, but picked up a win against Marathon the next morning, 3-0. Key West will have a few days to prepare for the Palm Beach Tournament starting Saturday, Sept. 24, then another at Florida Christian the following week.
Marathon
Marathon was scheduled for three road contests in the past week but lost one to a late cancellation, giving the Fins some much-needed rest. The respite was short-lived, as the team picked up an extra four games when they filled in for a team unable to attend the Conch Cup. Though the team battled, the Fins were unable to find their way into the win column throughout the tournament.
On Sept. 12, the Fins traveled to Posnack and battled it out in five sets, losing 3-2. The next night, Marathon fell to Archimedean in another 3-2 loss.
Coach Kelley Cruz found a silver lining in the matches, explaining, “We’ve been working on consistency. The last two games we have shown great improvement in staying in the game and playing with the same energy throughout the matches. It’s something we will continue to work on for the rest of the season.”
The 2-11 Dolphins will finally get a true “break” this week, as they play just one game on Thursday, Sept. 22 at home against Somerset South Homestead.
Coral Shores
Coral Shores played just one game this week, falling to county rival Key West on Sept. 13. The Conchs picked up the win, but Coral Shores showed some grit in their gameplay. Assistant coach Dabney Desantis, filling in for Sam Ovalle, gave the Conchs credit for their win, saying, “Key West is a very competitive and tough team and they brought the energy and came to play.”
The ‘Canes didn’t just hand a win over to the Conchs, though. Desantis praised her team for some big plays and strong effort in the battle, praising digs from Brooke Mandozzi and Kailee Reinoso along with blocks from Leann Quick. She also credited Quick, Grace Leffler and Jenna Castillo for a series of kills and blocks against Key West’s tough front line.
