Hernandez Makes History on Sophomore Night

Leesburg, Fla. – Friday night was a meaningful match for the Lake-Sumter State College volleyball team and their six sophomores who were honored at mid-court against Florida Gateway College.

Stumbling out of the gate, the Lakehawks dropped the first set 25-23. Lake-Sumter would recover quickly winning the next three consecutive sets to take the match (25-19, 25-14, 25-15). The final three sets displayed the depth at each position that the Lakehawks have. LSSC had 10 different players contribute on the court, including seven different scorers.

Gabriela Hernandez put an exclamation point on her sophomore night with 62 assists in four sets. A career high and new school record for the setter. Hernandez became the third player in the country to reach the 60+ assist mark in DII. Her 62 total assists are the most in any division in the state of Florida and second nationally in NJCAA Division II. The setter also added 12 digs for her eighth double-double of the season.

Emma Gray led the team with 22 kills while Kameron Johnson hit .412 collecting 11 points. Amanda Berecz added 11 digs and four assists while Dallas Patterson posted five digs of her own. Jasmine Kimpel had a career night with a personal best 15.5 points.

Hernandez, Gray, Johnson, Berecz, Patterson and Kimpel were all honored alongside friends and family for the two years they have dedicated to the Lake-Sumter volleyball team as student-athletes.

Tuesday will be a big nonconference matchup with Eastern Florida State College on the road. A victory would clinch the first winning season for the Lakehawks since 2003. LSSC is currently 12-11 on the season and 7-2 in conference play. The match in Melbourne will begin at 6 pm.

A recent schedule change will allow Lake-Sumter to play one final home game. Gulf Coast State will make their second trip of the season to Leesburg on Thursday after the devastation caused by hurricane Michael. It will be Gulf Coast's second game back on the court since being allowed back on campus. Start time is slated for 6 pm.