Volleyball Notches Four Wins in PSC Invitational

The Pirates hosted five teams in their annual Pensacola State Invitational tournament last weekend. 

Pensacola defeated Roane State in three sets for their first match of the tournament (25-19, 25-17, 25-21). On the match, PSC had 30 kills, 28 digs and nine aces. 

The Pirates' 3-0 victory  (25-15, 25-12, 25-16) over Pearl River in match two was a stronger offensive game. The team earned 36 kills hitting an average of .284. Leading the offense was sophomore, setter Brunna Marinari with 19 assists and freshman, setter Lauren Schuessler with 11.  

Pensacola State went on to face two tough opponents on Saturday; Garden City and Calhoun Community College. 

In the first match against Garden City, the teams went to four sets, starting with a showdown of a first set (29-27). 

The Broncbusters responded from the opening set loss by taking over set two and winning 25-17. Both teams fought hard each point, pushing a close score in the final two sets (25-23, 25-20) but PSC prevailed in the end.  

The Pirates racked up 58 kills, 56 digs, eight blocks and 55 assists against Garden City. Freshman, middle blocker Danielle Lee led the team with 15 kills, alongside her was freshman, outside hitter Catie Woolf with 14 and sophomore, outside hitter Cadence Goeden with 12 of her own. Marinari helped her team win by earning 44 assists and two aces in the match. 

The final match of the tournament involved the Pirates and the Calhoun Warhawks. 

PSC made a statement out of the gate by winning the first set 25-15. Unable to find their groove, Calhoun played the entire match from behind and the Pirates secured a sweep in three sets (25-15, 25-21, 25-12). As their best statistical match in the tournament, PSC left feeling confident as a whole. The team earned 47 kills, hitting an average of .311 while securing 30 digs and 45 assists.  

Over the weekend, returning libero Maddie Mire led defensively, tallying 56 digs. Goeden carried the torch offensively, bringing in 46 kills, along with Woolf having 40 kills. Marinari racked up 121 assists, seven aces and 17 digs.  

The Pirates move on to compete in their first conference matches this weekend. The team will hit the road for south Florida, where they will face Lake Sumter, St. Johns River and Florida State College at Jacksonville.