In case you didn’t know, Pine Crest does in fact have a boy’s volleyball team, and they are looking to make a name for themselves this season. Led by Head Coach Albert Sturgeon, the Panthers had a solid 10-10 record last season and are bringing back only three players from last year’s squad. However, as many players will tell you, earning an even record last season just wasn’t enough. Steven Graf, Zach Kahan, and Joao Nuñes make up the veteran core for this team, and they are hungry to improve.  The Panthers also have a ton of other key players on this year’s team. After playing volleyball for the first time last year, sophomore Tony Alfonso comes into this season as the Panther’s leading outside hitter and source for kills. Offense is nothing without defense, though, and juniors Marco Levy and Jack Marchetto hold down that side of the court for the Panthers as the libero and defensive specialist, respectively. Their  job is to defend the back row and pass the ball to the setter, Steven Graf, in order to initiate the offense. Despite having a young and somewhat inexperienced team, the goals lie far beyond simply winning every game and heading to States. Jack Marchetto told me, “Albert has just been wanting us to compete and have fun. Those are his two main goals for the beginning of the season, growing as a team and as individual volleyball players”.

The Panthers have started the season with a meager 1-3 record, winning handily against South Plantation before losing to American Heritage and Saint Thomas in straight sets.  However, it was their game against Cardinal Gibbons that could give the Panthers the much needed spark to jump-start their season.  Although they lost, their play against Gibbons could be considered a moral victory for Pine Crest. They lost badly against the Chiefs in the first set, but the resilient Panthers were able to bounce back and win the second set.  They even managed to play the Chiefs close in the next set, before Gibbons pulled ahead to win. The Panthers held their own against one of the best teams in the district (maybe even the state), and they certainly have more great volleyball ahead of them.  In the opinion of junior defensive specialist Jack Marchetto, “When we won the 2^nd set vs. Gibbons, we felt as if we could hold our own against the top team in the county.”

So come out to Stacy Gym this Thursday, March 27^th, and see the revenge-seeking Panthers take on Gibbons in what is sure to be an exciting game!