Leesburg, Fla. – Three matches in three days was the task at hand for the Lake-Sumter State College volleyball team. They walked away going 2-1 on the weekend.
The Lakehawks went to a neutral site in Lake City to faceoff against Gulf Coast State College on Friday and Pensacola State College on Saturday. Set one against Gulf Coast was the longest of the season so far with the Lakehawks coming out on top, 29-27. A solid opening in set two led to a 25-21 win for LSSC. The Commodores were not going down without a fight and sent set three into extra points and eventually won 28-26. Lake-Sumter ended the match after taking the fourth set, 25-20.
Emma Rome posted a career high, 21 kills and ended the night with 23.5 points. Viannie Kazan led the team with 33 assists while adding eight digs. Xiomara Williams snagged a double-double with 18 digs to go along with 14 kills in the win.
Saturday had the Lakehawks facing off against the Pirates of Pensacola State. Lake-Sumter showed why they came in ranked 15th in the nation with a 25-13 win in set one, but the battle was just beginning. PSC took sets two and three (25-21, 25-16). After trailing early, LSSC rallied to win set four, 25-22, and pushed a final fifth set. The final set went into extra points with the Pirates coming out on top, 16-14.
Kayla Chambliss dished out 47 assists in the match. It was the fourth time she had reached 47 or more assists in a single contest in her career. Williams posted another solid day on the court with 20 digs and 18 kills. Rome came in with 15 points of her own and 13 digs.
The Lakehawks were back at home for Sunday's matchup with rival, Pasco-Hernando State College. After dropping the first set, 25-22, LSSC ripped off three straight wins (25-23, 25-23, 25-20) to go home with the victory.
Back-to-back stellar performances from Chambliss netted her 46 assists and 19 digs in the contest. Erin Ellis came through with 16 kills and 10 digs while Madison Heskett totaled 11 kills in the victory.
A little more than halfway through the Sun Lake Conference schedule and the Lakehawks have a record of 8-2, good enough for third in the standings. A showdown awaits Tuesday with St. John's River State College, who currently sits atop of the conference at 9-1. The first meeting between these two teams went five sets in an instant thriller, with LSSC coming out on top. The match is set to begin at 6 pm in Palatka, Fla.