Cape volleyball outlasts Sussex Tech 3-1
When the Cape and Sussex Tech volleyball teams get together, fans can always count on a highly competitive match where records don’t matter. The Oct. 24 contest was one of those bouts.
The Vikings drew first blood, taking the first set easily 25-9. The second set saw the Ravens finding their wings and scoring 17 points on the Vikings. They continued to fly high, taking the third set 27-25. But the Vikings righted the ship and took the fourth set 25-20.
“We played an error-filled third set and [had] a poor defensive performance,” said Cape coach Tyler Coupe. “We didn’t call timeouts because we wanted our players to see if they could handle the pressure themselves and get us out of the rut. Sets one and two were much more consistent of our play, with strong serving, a really well-set first two games from Emme [Smith] and smarter attacking, especially from Harper [Mamele]. I’m happy we won, but hopefully it showed our kids we can’t walk into any match; every match deserves the same intensity and focus.”
Cape libero Emily Cook led the dig department with 12, while freshman Harper Mamele knocked down 11 kills. Junior Ava Calciano controlled the service line with six aces and killing nine points. Sophomore Amalia Fruchtman roofed four blocks. Senior Lily Joyce gave herself an early birthday gift of seven kills and two blocks.
Smith put up 31 assists and reached the Delaware mark with 302 assists on the season.
Dan has worked for the Cape Gazette for more than 30 years as a photographer and reporter, covering high school sports and happenings around eastern Sussex County. He won a photography award from the National Newspaper Association, and numerous awards from the Maryland, Delaware, D.C. Press Association. A Delaware native, Dan graduated from Cape in 1972 and returned as a teacher and coach in the 1980s. He retired from the classroom in 2016. He was inducted into Cape High’s Legends Stadium in 2016. In his spare time, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife, two sons, grandchildren and dogs.
