In Short: Sea Devils Volleyball finished their first regular season tournament with an even 2-2 slate as they showcased some new talent against nationally ranked opponents.
Highlights:
After a successful showing at their home tournament against NCAA Division II teams in exhibition matchups, the Sea Devils traveled to Leesburg, Florida for the Lake-Sumter State College Invitational. Cape Fear kicked off pre-season ranked 13th in the NJCAA polls and immediately faced off with challenging opponents - #15 Lake-Sumter State College, #14 St. Johns River State College, and #2 Cowley County Community College. But this intense and competitive slate only made the Sea Devils more excited for the challenge.
Cape Fear started off strong against their hosts LSSC, but an unfortunate injury took out returning leader and reliable pin hitter Charly Meade early into the matchup. #9 Meade is confident to appear in the coming weekend's tournament play after receiving the appropriate medical attention.
Freshman Leah Davis fought hard defensively with 24 digs against the Lakehawks while Sophomore Madie Ballou earned 7 kills. The Sea Devils finished the final 2 sets of the match staying within 3 points of the Lakehawks, but took their first regular season loss 0-3.
The Sea Devils found their rhythm against Enterprise State as Freshman London Ipsen stepped into Meade's role and handled herself with confidence and consistency. The Sea Devils earned 11 team blocks throughout as Hannah McDowell and Madalyn Rinck coordinated a well-balanced offense - contributing 12 and 13 assists respectively. The Sea Devils finished off the Boll Weevils in 3 sets with ease.
Things started to heat up against the well matched St. Johns River State Vikings. The match went into 5 sets as the Sea Devils relied heavily on Freshman London Ipsen to take charge. Ispen earned 8 aces off the serving line as Kara Walker earned 13 kills to solidify their offensive pursuits. The Vikings and the Sea Devils went tit for tat until the final set where Cape Fear finished things off 15-5.
#2 in the Nation Cowley County kept the Sea Devils honest in their final matchup of the tournament. The Tigers were able to showcase the poise, hard work, and organization on both sides of the ball that can lead to the accolades and high rankings they continue to receive. The Sea Devils rallied in the Second Set with 14 kills as the Tigers finished the set with only a 22-25 lead. Cowley County eventually swept the Sea Devils 0-3 to finish their weekend showing.
"I'm really happy with the mental and emotional growth I saw this weekend after dropping a tough first match," remarks Head Volleyball Coach Colby Rosser. "It was exciting to see freshmen step up and contribute to our overall success as a team."
Next Up: The Sea Devils will travel to Spartanburg, SC to compete in the Spartanburg Methodist College Invitational starting on Friday, September 2nd.
