Royals and Ravens battle in final warmup scrimmage
The Delmarva Christian and Sussex Tech volleyball squads held their final preseason scrimmage Sept. 2 on the Royals’ home court. The back-and-forth sets resulted in the Ravens taking a 2-0 advantage.
“Tonight’s scrimmage was a great opportunity for us to prepare for our season under game-like conditions,” said Royals coach Kelly Duffy. “We’re thankful for the opportunity to host a strong and scrappy Sussex Tech team, and we wish them the best of luck in their upcoming season. Our Lady Royals gained some valuable experience tonight, and we’re looking forward to our season-opener against Cape. I can’t wait to see some of our athletes step into their leadership roles. I’m blessed to coach a united group of young ladies who are determined to improve every time they step on the court. Their determination is only matched by the encouragement they provide one another.”
Senior Riley Barto said the team chemistry is great.
“Within two days of practice, we were all connected,” she said. “We are preparing for Cape next week. Our defense is strong, and our offense will build off of that.”
Senior Kamryn Zarebicki said she’s excited to get the season started next week.
“We just need to get our nerves out and I think tonight we did just that,” she said.
Sussex Tech coach Moriah Reid said she was impressed with her team’s play against the Royals.
”I have been encouraging them to stay scrappy and leave it all on the court, and that’s what they did,” she said. “The energy from both JV and varsity [players] was electric. It makes me excited to see how much we grow as a new team throughout the season. I am so lucky to have this exact group of girls going into my first season as head coach. I have some hungry seniors with big goals, and I am going to try my hardest to help them reach those goals.”
The Royals open the regular season on the road at Cape Henlopen Monday, Sept. 8.
The Ravens opened the season Sept. 4 at Woodbridge.
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.
