By Marty Camacho

September 13 – After successful seasons last year, our Women’s Soccer and Volleyball teams seek to perform once again and improve from last season’s learnings.

Soccer:

After a strong season that saw them win the District title for the second consecutive year and make their first national tournament appearance, the Pirates are looking to perform well and qualify for the nationals once again. 

Heading into only its third season since its establishment, expectations and standards are high for the young team. “We’d like a repeat trip up there, [but] it’s not an easy task to go back to the national tournament,” stated head coach Mark Yepishin. In addition to the old challenges, new teams from Alabama join the district this season, creating new competition and more games to play.

The task will be even more challenging with several changes in the roster, as proven with the Pirates’ difficult start. This season’s roster includes 17 freshmen who are still adjusting to the college game, but are slowly starting to gain their rhythm as the season goes on. An early challenge also revealed itself as the Pirates faced a tough opening schedule against the top teams while some sophomores were unavailable due to injuries.

“When you’re missing that core of sophomores and you’re playing the best teams in the country, … you’re getting thrown into the fire,” said coach Yepishin. Sophomores, who are counted on to bring experience and leadership to the team, are an important presence on any team. To a young roster similar to the Pirates, their presence is indispensable, and their unavailability was a huge factor for the tough start to the season.

However, the injuries were also an opportunity for the freshmen to gain experience to prepare for the coming games. “It’s like, it’s good from another way, but it’s also bad from another way,” coach Yepishin explained. Following the 4-0 win against Pasco-Hernando State College on September 13, which saw the Pirates win their third consecutive game, the team is slowly moving in the right direction. “[The difficult schedule] was a good experience for us, and hopefully it was for the better,” stated coach Yepishin. With the dominance the team is starting to display, the experience is beginning to pay off.

Volleyball:

The volleyball team is off to a strong start to the season. The Pirates’ dominance was once again on display in their September 13th game against Palm Beach State College, which they decisively won 3-0. 

After last season, when the Pirates had a strong run, reaching the quarterfinals of the national tournament, the team is looking to continue its dominance and improve even more. “The mindset is that we remind everyone that we do have history,” stated head coach Patricia Gandolfo. “The past teams left a legacy, now what are we going to do with it? We can crumble or we can compete, and I think they’re choosing to compete.”

The team is hungry to compete and continue the legacy that the past teams have built, and they are doing it with dominance, style, and joy. The Pirates are a team that shows off strength in togetherness, the players’ chemistry on full display with every point and celebration – a quality that makes them fun to watch.

“We’re lucky enough that they all enjoy each other,” said coach Gandolfo about the team’s chemistry. “You put six different personalities inside of a box, you’ve got to do that with volleyball, [and] you have to have that chemistry.”

Another strength of this year’s roster is the number of sophomores. This year’s roster has nine returning players, all of whom have experienced the competitiveness of the national tournament last season. “You don’t know until you know,” coach Gandolfo said. The Pirates have the advantage of having players who have seen and experienced the nationals, and know what to expect and how to compete at that level.

“But, we keep them grounded, we keep them humble,” stated coach Gandolfo. The team knows their history and experience, but they acknowledge the work and humility needed to perform well. “It’s a whole different chapter of the same book,” coach Gandolfo added, “so we tell them that the most important match is the next match.”

This year’s Pirates are playing with a lot of excitement, and it is shared by the whole team along with their supporters. As coach Gandolfo described, “They’re fun. Let me tell you – I love it.”