Shorthanded Cape volleyball falls to Auks 3-0

The Cape volleyball squad was missing two senior starters in its match with Archmere and fell to the Auks 3-0 at home Sept. 23. But head coach Tyler Coupe would not use the absence of Sophia Spinelli and Maddy Holt, who have combined for 65 kills in three games, as an excuse for the loss.

“Walking into the Archmere game, we had a pretty good idea what we'd be going up against,” said Coupe. “A large, physical team that was going to serve at us as aggressively as possible with an up-tempo offense that we weren't used to seeing, and they delivered that. Our goal was to eliminate runs and terminate points where we could. Unfortunately, we weren't able to do that consistently enough.”

Mikiyah Ennals, Jocelyn Leach and Katie Knarr each had three kills in the match. Logan Shuttleworth totaled 10 assists and seven digs, while Emily Lamb made 11 digs.

“We had some tough breaks with two of our strongest and most experienced players out due to sickness. We ran a lineup that was younger than I'd like, but I thought for the limited amount of practice with it, they responded well. Jocelyn Leach has steadily gotten better each day, and has shown a great possibility to continue to grow.

“As a team, we need to continue to be mentally tougher than what we're demonstrating on the court. Losing is never fun, but the way players conduct themselves during those tough games shows more of their character then when winning. They need to understand and appreciate the opportunity they have to be part of something bigger than themselves.”

Shuttleworth looks to the Archmere match as a maturing part of the team’s season.

“We definitely missed Sophia and Maddy, but I think it was a good experience for the younger players to be put in against a team like Archmere,” she said. “We haven’t seen a block like theirs and haven’t played a team as tough as they were. I believe if we are positive and keep playing hard, we will bounce back for the remainder of the season.”

The Auks were led by Julia Kochie and Sydney Niumataiwalu with 11 and 14 assists, respectively.

The Vikings travel to Milford Tuesday, Sept. 26, then to Sussex Central Thursday, Sept 28.

“We have to get back in the gym this week hungry and focused on how to make ourselves work better as a unit and prepare for another tough week of matches,” Coupe said.

The junior varsity Vikings moved to 2-2 on the season with a 2-0 loss to the JV Auks.