Written by Theadora Humphrey
This game was a fierce battle between the St. Petersburg College (SPC) Titans and the Eastern Florida State College (EFSC) Titans, a team ranked 19th in the pre-season DI polls. The game started out strong as SPC dominated the first set, and while the following sets were close, SPC could not get the edge over EFSC. However, the close sets throughout the game displayed the SPC Titan’s strength and perseverance throughout the game. Despite the loss, Head Coach Grace put forth a positive perspective on the match. She stated that “being so close each set to Eastern Florida is bittersweet. While I wish we got the job done, competing how we did against a strong, nationally ranked team shows us we are ready for conference play."
Game Recap
The SPC Titans stole the first set with 25 points in comparison with the 13 points EFSC Titans were able to gather. This set contained 14 kills for the SPC Titans, along with two aces from the freshman outside/ds Julia Fidelis, and seven saving digs from Lucy, a freshman as well. As the game continued, the SPC Titans were always close in points within their sets, only one or two away from the EFSC Titans. Although they lost the game, the SPC Titans still showed admirable resilience by never giving up the fight. By keeping the scores close and the EFSC Titans on their toes, the SPC Titans proved their commitment to the game. With that being said, it is no surprise that the team was able to perform with tenacity and that individual players got to show off their skills in the heat of the moment.
Key players
In set one alone, there are many players to address regarding their spectacular display. Lala Serran-Santiago, the sophomore libero, managed to secure a 2.33 passing average! As the redshirt sophomore opposite hitter, Ranya Mehta, leads the team with four kills and Tayla Tran, the sophomore setter, posted 31 assists for her team.
With overwhelming precision, the freshman libero, Eliana, reported a 3.0 passing average! While a 2.33 is impressive, a down-right perfect score is truly remarkable. Belen, the freshman middle blocker, posted one ace and two blocks, matching Ranya’s two blocks as well. Out of the staggering 11 team kills, Ranya was responsible for four of them, leading the team once again! As well as posting four kills, Ranya performed them with a 0.500% hitting average. While Ranya is only a sophomore, she carries herself on the court like a practiced professional and proves this in her statistics. Tayla made sure to assist her team again by achieving four digs as well.
With the overall score of 1-1 looming over each team, the SPC Titans made sure to play even harder than before. Ever the team player, Tayla made 10 assists this set, keeping the team synergy flowing and ready for the third set. Lucy and Ranya each scored five kills, with a 0.556 hitting percentage and a 0.625 percentage, respectively. Lucy continued this exciting energy by posting five digs, as did Julia, but Lala took the team lead this set with a total of eight digs. While the EFSC Titans’ offense is strong, the SPC Titans made sure to match it with their quick, reactive defense and digs.
The final set proved to be challenging, as the EFSC Titans were warmed up and ready to win. Even though defeat was near, the SPC Titans still gave it their all with 10 total kills in the set. Ranya also put a quick point on the board for the SPC Titans with an impressive ace, easily boosting team morale when it was needed most. In spite of this energy, the SPC Titans still faced defeat. Though, with this defeat came a new perspective; a renowned confidence in their ability to play against such a strong team and hold their ground with close sets.
Upcoming Events
The SPC Titans next home match will be against the team of South Florida State College on Wednesday, September 4th - the first conference match of the year.
