Volleyball Starts Season Off Strong

Wilmington, NC - After having to cancel their first two games of the year because of Irene's storms, the Lady Sea Devil volleyball team was eager to get their season started. They opened their season participating in a tournament at Brunswick Community College in Supply, NC. BCC hosted teams from Illinois, Iowa, as well as local teams from North Carolina.

The Sea Devil's dropped their first match to Iowa Central Community College,but it didn't seem to faze the young Sea Devils.

"We started off strong and just became too confident. Iowa Central took control of the match in the second set and we just couldn't get our momentum back," said Coach Pompeani. "It was a great learning experience for our young team."

Coach Pompeani had been emphasizing pass-serve to her players for the previous two weeks. "It is our weakest aspect of the game right now, and it makes it extremely difficult to do anything without perfecting those two skills. Our passing was solid tonight and that's what I am proud of."

With the first game jitters gone, it was time to turn their focus to what was ahead. Next on the list were the team's first home matches of the season. The Sea Devils hosted Louisburg College and Vance-Granville Community College the next day in the friendly confines of the Schwartz Center.

Cape Fear defeated Louisburg in three sets, 25-17, 25-22, 25-7. Freshman Jenna Baranowski finished the match with 9 kills and 10 digs. Sophomore Juliann Shirley added 11 kills and 2 blocks, finishing the game hitting .500. Casey Salchert, a freshman setter, earned 37 assists with two kills of her own.

The Sea Devils continued to play well, defeating Vance-Granville 25-8, 25-11, 25-12. Meg Knoerzer stepped up with 7 kills, hitting .667 for the entire match. Jordan Gilmore and Baranowski each added 8 kills while Shirley came through again adding 9 kills. Freshman defensive specialist Bryana Garcia contributed 9 digs and four service aces to the match.

"It was fun to see the team come together and play so well," says Baranowski. "We are pumped to get two wins at home right of the bat and in front of our home crowd." Baranowski also contributed 9 service aces.

The very next day the Sea Devils were back in the bus headed to BCC to play the College of Lake County.

"We only have 11 girls," says Coach Pompeani. "Because of that, we do not get to scrimmage very often in practice, so a non-conference match is a great learning experience for us."

Cape Fear defeated Lake County in three sets; 25-21, 25-15, 25-18. Freshman Libero Candice Downey passed a 2.30 for the match allowing Salchert 26 assists and 9 kills for Baranowski. "This was a solid match," says Salchert. "We took care of the little things and did what needed to be done to win."

Coach Pompeani noted that she was proud of the girls' performance throughout the weekend. "We have to continue to work on playing our game. That's the best game we play."

The Sea Devils are back in action Wednesday night, September 7th, as rival Brunswick Community College visits the Schwartz Center. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m.