Cape, Sussex Academy face off in final volleyball scrimmage
The Cape Henlopen and Sussex Academy volleyball teams won’t face each other this season, but no one told the teams that it wasn’t the playoffs Aug. 30, as the they served, blocked, dug, set and spiked like it was the end-of-season tournament.
“I think the competition and energy was great,” said Sussex Academy senior Carmen Merrick. “Cape versus SAS is always a good matchup. I believe our team has some things and consistencies to work on, and hopefully we’ll be there by the season, but I wish we were playing Cape in the season.”
“I thought the scrimmage was incredible,” said Cape senior Lily Joyce. “Playing with girls who put their everything into each point makes the final outcome so much more rewarding. All of our hard work during this past scrimmage allows me to grow as an athlete and us as a team.”
Each coach used the scrimmage to see key players performing in key positions before the regular season starts next week.
“Today’s scrimmage again continues to benefit us as we try and narrow down rotations,” said Cape coach Tyler Coupe. “We have two options, to either run a two-setter offense or a one-setter system. Each has its pros and cons. We’re ironing out our defensive order, trying to figure out which combo of players gives us the best chance of success in serve-receive, which is truly priority No. 1. We weren’t as consistent behind the service line as I would have liked, but still showed some strong glimpses of pressure. Looking forward to a weekend off to let the players regroup and heal their body from a long, physical preseason, and to mentally prepare for our first match next week.”
“I thought today our team momentum started out slow, but as the scrimmage progressed, we were happy to see the girls relax and start to play their game,” said Seahawks coach Hailee Gooch. “We were able to try out a couple different lineups and thought they stepped up well to the challenge, while also missing one of our offensive players. Cape had a few strong servers and scrappy defense that provided us with additional insight on areas of focus to continue to strengthen our overall play. We have a small varsity team this season, and the girls and coaches are all looking forward to putting in the work to flourish as a unit. They continue to impress us every day at preseason.”
The Vikings will open Friday, Sept. 8, at home with Delmarva Christian, while the Seahawks travel to Middletown to face the Cavaliers.
