Pirates Take First Conference Loss Against Rival Gulf Coast

Pensacola State 2, Gulf Coast 3

(25-14, 30-32, 22-25, 26-24, 14-16)

The Pirates traveled to Gulf Coast on Tuesday for their first season match up against the no. 7 Commodores. The much anticipated match turned into a five-set nail biter that kept fans on the edge of their seats.

Pensacola set the tone early in the match, as they dominated the Commodores 25-14 in the opening set.

As expected, Gulf Coast flipped a switch in the second set and pushed the Pirates to battle a drawn out set. Both sides ran out of substitutions as the final score continued to be pushed further past 25 points. Rallies grew longer, and both teams chipped away for the next point, but the second set ended in favor of the Commodores, 32-30.

Pensacola struggled to grab hold of momentum, and dropped the third set to the Dores. With no other choice but to stay in the fight, the Pirates made adjustments that boosted them back in the running for victory. The match was pushed to five sets after a 26-24 set win for PSC.

The fifth set was taken over by Pensacola early on. The momentum was favoring the Pirates up until point 12, when Gulf Coast saw an opportunity to push back. The Commodores didn't hold back as they stayed the aggressor the rest of the way, and secured the win 16-14. 

Highlights from the match:

-Lauren Schuessler earned one of her many career double-doubles in the match with 38 assists and 26 digs

-Middle blockers Reece Varden and Marisa Beaubien handled the offense bringing in a combined 25 kills (Varden-13, Beaubien-12)

-Libero Addison Danforth led the defense with 35 digs and five assists 

PSC Volleyball travels to Enterprise, AL Friday, September 19 for two non-conference matches against hosting team Enterprise State (9:30 a.m.) and Rock Valley (11:30 a.m.)