Through the first six games of the season, the Pine Crest Girls’ Volleyball team is off to a 3-3 start, despite the loss of several key players. Players not returning include the two Senior captains, Evita Conway and Nicole Rosenberg. However, the team should still remain successful, as the same core starters have remained. The Lady Panthers will be relying on their upper classmen, including Senior captain Genna Luciano and Junior captain Sam Breakstone. Their leadership and skill-set will hopefully lead the team to a promising post-season run.  This season looks to be another great one under head coach Albert Sturgeon, who has established a winning tradition at the Pine.

The Panther’s recently played the number six team in the country, the Boca High Bobcats, but came out with a loss of 1-3.  Despite the loss, the the Panthers kept the game close the whole time, and  they continuously jumped out to early leads.  Their unique fast style of play is what contributed to their 6-0 run which opened the first set.  Setter Kylie Bruder led the team with 40 assists and 16 digs and will continue to be relied on to deliver passes throughout the season. Another positive takeaway from this game was the strong Pine Crest fan base, clad in neon green PCVB shirts given out before the game.  A few negatives from the loss were the Panthers’ serving and defense. It seemed as if every time PC had the momentum, they lost it by missing a serve. Also, on the defensive side, the Panthers looked to be shaken up by the hitters of Boca High. They gave Pine Crest everything they could handle defensively and ultimately got the better of them.

All in all, this game was certainly a learning experience for the team, and the girls should now know that they have the potential to beat some of the best teams out there. With a fairly young team and a great coach, the Pine Crest Girls’ Volleyball team looks to improve from last season and do big things in the playoffs.