Cape volleyball defeats Sussex Academy to advance
The Cape boys’ volleyball team shut out Sussex Academy 25-19, 25-15, 25-9 May 11 to advance to the second round of the DIAA state tournament. The No. 2 Vikings will host Newark Charter Tuesday, May 16.
The Vikings were led by junior setter Talon Stephens, who put up 32 assists in the match. Brody Lamb controlled the net play, knocking down 14 kills. Billy Cerf and Odin Potemski added nine and six kills, respectively. Libero Niko Panyko bumped seven digs.
“We started out pretty flat in set one versus Sussex Academy,” said Cape coach Tyler Coupe. “We had about 15 attacking errors total, which is just way too many to have success. The fact we were able to hold on and secure that first-set win is a credit to the kids for figuring out different ways to score points. Sets two and three were great examples of our execution. Our unforced errors were so much more limited. Talan [Stephens] ran a great offense. His distribution was consistent and smart. He gave kids second chances after a mistake, and that’s huge for establishing hitters’ confidence. Billy Cerf ran a great match through the middle, and Brady was clean and efficient from the left pin.”
Next up for the Vikings is 13-2 Newark Charter.
“They’ve got some physical players in the middle who pose a formidable block, and an outside who’s able to generate a ton of topspin and pop on the ball from the pin and the back row,” Coupe said. “Hoping to have a great crowd, and continue to show off the work and growth from our boys.”
