PJC vs. Pasco Hernando state Volleyball

Lady Pirates lose first battle in state tournament

MADELAIN TIGANO
The Corsair

PJC’s Lady Pirates lost their first state tournament volleyball game3-1 this morning against St. Petersburg at Polk State College in Winter Haven.

Head coach Pete Pena discussed his disappointment in his team saying, “We needed to gamble and play outside of the box.” Pena believes all teams in the state tournament are very talented and superior over PJC, but reflected that St. Petersburg, ranked third in their conference, should have been a win for his Pirates.

The first set went head-to-head between the teams as they tied most of the points in the beginning, until the score reached 15-15. Thereafter, St. Petersburg led the game 24-19. PJC made a four-point hold on St. Petersburg’s set point, but ended up short by two. St. Petersburg took the first set, 25-23.

The second set started a similar route as the first. However, the trend didn’t last long. PJC’s offense picked up the pace as Kali Pringle, sophomore, spiced the game with two stuffs and a kill putting PJC in the lead 13-9. The control continued for PJC, and they won the set 25-18.

In the third set, PJC fell behind, and St. Petersburg overpowered the match-up. PJC’s Jasmine Scott, freshman, controlled most of PJC’s points offensively and defensively. PJC tried to come back with a six-point run in the end, but it was not enough and the win went to St. Petersburg, 25-20.

The fourth set played out as an all-out battle. PJC made 12 of their points by kills, but failed to take total control. Only a few points behind, Scott hit a hard kill to St. Petersburg and the ball went out of bounds for the match point. The final score, 25-21, summed up a three-set win for St. Petersburg and ended the first tournament game.

PJC has to win tomorrow’s game at 3 p.m. to stay in the tournament.

PJC vs. St. Petersburg state volleyball game

Lady Pirates earn ticket to state tournament

MADELAIN TIGANO

The Lady Pirates, PJC’s volleyball team, are now conference champions after winning Oct. 14 against Gulf Coast Community College in a battle for an entry to the state tournament.

“I’m excited to go to state,” said Cassidy Nance, freshman player. “It is what we worked really hard for, and we finally did it.”

Sophomore Jessica Guidry started the first set with a six-point serving run, leaving PJC in the lead six to one. Later, Jasmine Scott hit a kill for the eighth point, followed by Hannah Nichols’ kill for the ninth and Kali Pringle’s kill for the tenth. Cassidy Nance continued PJC’s domination with a kill for the game point, winning the set 25-13 which brought the crowd to a roar.

The second set took a similar route to the first with PJC winning 25-14.

“We came out aggressive in the first two games,” said Pete Pena, volleyball head coach.

In the third set, the Lady Pirates left the crowd cheering for a comeback as they fell behind by five points with the score becoming 10 to 5, Gulf Coast, and then rising 15-10. Gulf Coast took control in defense at the end of the set winning 25-16.

IN the fourth set, Gulf Coast’s Jameiha Maxwell gave away the match point to PJC by hitting the ball out of bounds, leaving the final score 25-18 and giving PJC its ticket to state.

“It’s nice to win and get to go to the state tournament again,” Pena said. “I am very proud of them.”

Pirates fire into game mode

Samantha Meyers

Published: Tuesday, September 16, 2008

The PJC volleyball team stimulated the crowd Sept. 4 with its first home game win against Faulkner University. The one-hour match was nothing short of domination from the team, winning the match in just three games. Although it was a win for the Pirates, it is an extremely new team with only two returning players, and several minor mistakes to fix.

“I was glad that we were able to play everyone, and I was happy with the execution we portrayed, but we just need to keep with concentration on the game,” Head Coach Pete Pena said.

The PJC starters were Jessica Guidry, Haley Forrester, Kelsi New, Beth Olgetree, Andrea Wilkinson, and Dayne Ramsey. PJC jumped into the game with the first point made by Olgetree. Faulkner did not give off a strong impression in the opening. After PJC scored 10 consecutive points, Forrester lightly tapped the ball out of bounds, and PJC gave up the ball. The PJC team carried each other with powerful effort in a battle of the spikes to win the first game 25-13.

After switching sides, Pirates got a feel of exhilaration with a power spike from Leah Davis. The PJC team kept up with a heavy lead, letting Faulkner have a taste of the gym floor. Faulkner kicked into gear with a gain of several points, but Coach Pena yelled, “too big of a gap, tighten up!” PJC snapped into focus. After winning 25-11 in the second set, the team began to look weary.

Faulkner seemed warmed up by the third set, with a great first point scored, leaving the ball unanswered by PJC. Even though Faulkner University was not winning, they grabbed a few extra points in the beginning of the third game. PJC’s Jessica Long hit the ball with a bang leaving Faulkner to stare, unable to even attempt a return. No doubt the team was sweating with their long sleeved jerseys, but they were definitely playing well. Kali Pringle showed off her height when she barely jumped, and blocked successfully. With only two points left needed to win the game, Haley Forrester had a commanding finish and brought the volleyball team to victory 25-17.

After the game, Kelsi New and Jessica Long said, “We could have played better.”