Instant Classic Gives Lakehawks 2-0 Record

Leesburg, Fla. – The season is in full swing for the Lake-Sumter State College volleyball team and the start could not have been better, winning their first two matches.

Lake-Sumter opened their season on the road against St. Pete College and came out strong winning the match in three straight sets (25-20, 25-15, 25-17). Kayla Chambliss and Xiomara Williams picked up right where they left off last spring. Chambliss boasted 32 assists in just three sets while adding six digs. Williams unloaded for 18 points, including six aces. Impact freshman, Emma Rome notched 16 kills and finished with a .382 hitting percentage.

The team ended the night with 43 total kills, a .344 hitting percentage and their 4.3 serving aces per set were good enough for second in the nation after week one.

Tuesday marked an early season high profile matchup between two of the top teams in the Sun-Lakes Conference. Neither Lake-Sumter nor St. John's River State College had lost a set so far this season. That was no longer the case after the first two sets with the Lakehawks winning set one, 25-21, and the Vikings taking set two, 25-19.

Set three was a back and forth battle with multiple lead changes heading down the final stretch. LSSC was able to make the plays when it counted most and take the set, 26-24. The most one-sided set in the match was set four. St. John's River was able to create separation early in the set. A late run by the Lakehawks brought them back, but it was not enough, falling 25-22.

A fifth and final set was necessary and again, it was multiple lead changes and ties. With the score 8-7 in favor of the Lakehawks and St. John's serving, Viannie Kazan dropped in a masterful tip that turned the tide and momentum and elevated her team down the stretch to a 15-12 victory.

Williams totaled 12 kills with 21 digs while her counterpart, Chambliss, dished out 36 assists. Mikayla Simmons had herself a night with 31 digs. Taylor Lawrence was also a big factor in her team's victory, hitting .625 with 11 kills.

"It was awesome to see the girls battle tonight," said Head Coach, Amanda Phelps. "We did some different things in this match that we haven't had a lot of time to work on in practice, but they executed and got the job done."

The Lakehawks (2-0, 2-0) will head to the panhandle to take on Pensacola State College (2-0, 2-0) and Gulf Coast State College (1-1, 1-2). It will be PSC on Friday, September 3 before meeting with GCSC the next day.