Florida State College at Jacksonville volleyball finished their season against the top three teams in the conference this past week.
FSCJ traveled to Palatka to take on St. John River State College on Wednesday, where they battled but fell short in four sets against the Vikings. Marissa Hauser had a strong match with 7 kills (.412), 1 ace, 1 BS and 2 BA. Yanielly Nieves also led a powerful threat on the front row with 13 kills (.256), 7 digs, and 3 BA.
On Friday, FSCJ matched up against #6 nationally ranked Pensacola State College Pirates and took a loss in three sets. Martina Soler Marti stayed consistent with 8 kills, 1 error, 24 attempts (.292), and 2 BA. Elaina Reynolds had 10 kills, 1 error, 25 attempts (.257), 1 ace, 7 digs, and 2 BA.
Saturday the FSCJ volleyball team celebrated their two sophomores, Marissa Hauser and Elaina Reynolds, during the last match of the season. "Gulf Coast took a sweep against PSC on Wednesday in Pensacola, so we were ready to come out and fight in our last opportunity this season," said head coach Chelsea Hinck. "We know how to compete if we open that can of possibility, and it opened up on Saturday in the third set. The team really wanted to bring home one more dub at home and we knew there was potential there, as we took a set of GCSC last month in Panama City." Abigail Bucci had 24 assists and 4 digs, while Elaina Reynolds had 11 kills, 2 errors, 44 attempts (.205) and 4 digs. Martina Soler Marti had 14 kills, 3 errors, 48 attempts (.229), 2 aces, 3 digs and 1 BA.
FSCJ volleyball season came to a close on saturday and they are looking forward to getting back to work in the off season. "This is our time to build and prep for the spring beach and indoor season," said Coach Hinck. Opening date for beach to start practicing is January 10th and competition starts February 1st while indoor volleyball can also begin on February 1st and potentially have up to 4 dates of play in the Spring.
"This team revealed a large amount of growth since our late start in August. stated Hinck. "We had moments of success, mental toughness and aggressive play on the floor that showed our potential. Our program is freshman heavy and it's important that we really note how well we did with a young group under all of the circumstances thrown our way this season. It is time for us to build our future in this off season and what is to come in the spring. We have a hungry group and I am excited to start what's next for this program and where it will lead us in the upcoming seasons here at FSCJ. In order for us to achieve the success we want we have to be willing to put one foot in front of the other and press on with progress."
Coach Hinck will start her recruiting trail to start building her 2024-25 class immediately.
Stay tuned on our website for our 2024 Beach Schedule and Spring 2024 Indoor Schedule