Athletics

The Panther Women’s Volleyball team opened its 2016 season with two impressive wins.

The first match pitted the Panthers against the Pan Handle’s volleyball perennial powerhouse Pensacola State College Aug. 26 in Gainesville, Fla.

The Pirates jumped out to an early lead in set one, but the Panthers were unfazed. They battled back and were able to steal set one 27-25. After making the run to capture the lead in set one the Panthers never looked back, taking set two 25-22 and set three 25-16.

The win set the tone for the season and was a memorable one for Head Coach Drew Colvin, as it was his first official win as a collegiate head coach.

In match two, the Panthers met State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota. The Panthers got off to a lethargic start dropping the first 11-25. The Panthers then righted the ship from that point forward. Sophomore setter Haley Seyfarth led the charge in sets two, three and four, moving the ball around to all of her hitters and proving that she is also an offensive threat as well, tallying five kills on just nine attempts.

Seyfarth was supported by a great team defense headed by sophomore Gabby Fresh who recorded 31 digs in just three sets. That puts her in the 25 dig club for the first time this season. Because of this, Fresh was named the NJCAA Region 8/FCSAA Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week. The Panthers took the match 3-1 (11-25), (25-19), (25-21) and (25-14).

In the final match of the weekend, the Panthers took on the Santa Fe College Saints Aug. 27. Both teams entered the match undefeated on the weekend and all indications predicted a great match for the fans. Early in set one the Saints jumped out to an early lead. The Panthers showed a great deal of heart fighting back from as many as nine down to bring the score back to within one but ultimately falling in 22-25. The consistent play of the Saints proved to be too much for the inexperienced Panthers who lost the match in straight sets 0-3 (22-25), (20-25) and (15-25).

The Panthers next match is on the road Aug. 31 as they take on Southern Conference foe Broward College in a non-conference match and Florida Memorial University.

The team will then sponsor a student/employee volleyball tournament Sept. 2 at the Lake Worth campus. All PBSC students and employees are welcome to join in this free event. Interested parties may sign up with the student activities office on the Lake Worth campus.