Back from a six day break caused by Hurricane Irma, the girls volleyball team got right back into the swing of things defeating district opponent St. Cloud, 3-0. The team was led by hitter Leandra Mangual, who had 13 kills, and hitter Morgan Romano, who had eight kills and one ace. This was also head coach Juanita Hitt’s first game back from medical leave.

“We visited Hitt a lot during her absence and she is always here with us,” Mangual said. “She comes up with game and practice plans but it is good to finally have her back.”

The game began with the team going on an 11-5 run, and St. Cloud made constant mistakes. All seven players who played in the first match scored, including Mangual, who led with four kills. The team won the first match, 25-18.

The second match did not start out as smoothly, with St. Cloud gaining an early 4-0 lead. Later in the match, the team caught up and took an 8-6 lead off of a kill by hitter Jessica Buis. The team threw a barrage of spikes at St. Cloud and controlled the tempo of the second match, winning 25-16.

“They have done a great job of being responsible and coming to practice and staying focused,” Hitt said.

In the third match, the team kept its momentum, with middle Audrey Douglas getting two of her six kills to put the team on top 3-1. As the match progressed, the team stretched the lead to 7-3 before St. Cloud came back and tied the game 7-7. Hitter Alina Carrillo had two of her four kills, bringing the score to 10-7. From there on the team was able to dominate the match and win 25-13.

The 3-0 win gave the team plenty of momentum heading into the rematch against cross-town rival Oviedo on Thursday, Sep. 21. The team is now 6-1 on the season and will look to continue their success into the playoffs.

“It felt really good to win tonight especially since it was a district game,” Mangual said. “We needed this win to get ready for the Oviedo rematch.”