Leesburg, Fla. – The Lake-Sumter State College volleyball team returned to Florida after a 4-1 trip to North Carolina where they steam rolled to three straight conference wins.
Just like Willie Nelson, the Lakehawks found themselves on the road again to take on Pasco-Hernando State College (6-11, 5-8). The Bobcats took the first two sets (25-22, 29-27) and were preparing for the sweep. LSSC took control early in set three and eventually went on to win it, 25-18. Set four ended up a 25-20 victory after pulling away in the end, to push a fifth set. Complete control from beginning to end in the final set gave LSSC a 15-6 set and match win.
The Lakehawks were back in action in Leesburg Friday, facing off against Gulf Coast Stat College (8-10, 6-9). In their first meeting, LSSC won the match in four sets. This time around, it took just three sets to claim the victory (25-20, 25-15, 25-18).
Heading into the third match of the week, Lake-Sumter was sitting one game behind No. 15 Pensacola State College (13-3, 11-3) for second place in the standings. Normally a slow starter, the Lakehawks jumped out early and won the first set, 25-23. The Pirates took the next two sets (25-21, 25-23) and were feeling good heading into the third set. LSSC played the fourth set like a well-oiled machine, winning 25-12, before continuing into the fifth set for a 15-7 win.
Prior to Friday's match against GCSC, Head Coach, Amanda Phelps was honored for reaching the 50 career win plateau at Lake-Sumter. Phelps, who took over a team in 2016 that had not posted a winning season since 2003, has completely turned around the entire program. A 2018 season emphasized the turning point when she led her team to a 16-14 record, a Regional Championship and a National Tournament appearance while ending the season ranked 11th in the final NJCAA National poll.
Lake-Sumter (16-4, 11-3) currently find themselves in second place in the Sun-Lakes Conference standings with four regular season conference matches remaining. Heading back out onto the road, LSSC will meet up with South Florida State College (7-9, 6-8) Wednesday night for a 6 pm start time.