Flyers Split Opening Day of Spring Break Trip

The Sandhills Community College Flyers beach volleyball team opened their spring break trip Wednesday with a doubleheader against Florida State College at Jacksonville in Jacksonville. The Flyers dropped the opening dual 5-0 but responded in the second match with a strong performance to earn a 4-1 victory.

The teams had the opportunity to compete on the sand at the Jacksonville Beach Pier, giving the Flyers a unique chance to play in true beach conditions along Florida's Atlantic coastline.

In the first dual, several Sandhills pairs battled through competitive sets but were unable to close out late points. Emery Freeman and Reagan Smith fell 21-13, 21-14, while Taylor Miller and Jaselyn Fink dropped a hard-fought 21-15, 21-18 decision.

Brooke Emore and Olivia Rosy played one of the closest matches of the dual, narrowly falling 23-21 in the opening set before dropping the second 21-14. Nevaeh Ross and Reagan Malpass also pushed their opponents to the limit in both sets before falling 21-19 and 22-20.

Olivia Bowman, Kennedy Koziarz, and Averi Cuddeback rotated through the pairing and battled in a 21-15, 21-19 loss.

Sandhills saw several strong efforts in exhibition play during the opening session. Madison Scheffler and Giannie Small picked up a win with a 21-19, 23-21 victory, while Riley Newton and Kaylee Lancaster competed hard before falling 21-17, 21-11. Anyssia Mains and Ava Hancock dropped a 21-19, 21-9 match, and Jacque Holden and Alyssa Ingle fell 21-14, 21-14.

The Flyers bounced back in the second dual with several gritty performances. Taylor Miller and Jaselyn Fink secured a three-set victory, winning 21-17, 11-21, 15-11. Alyssa Ingle and Emery Freeman followed with another three-set win, taking their match 21-19, 14-21, 15-10.

Reagan Smith and Jacque Holden also rallied after dropping the opening set, earning a 19-21, 21-17, 15-11 victory to help seal the team win.

Brooke Emore and Olivia Rosy dropped their match, falling 21-17, 21-13.

Sandhills continued to compete well in exhibition play during the second match. Nevaeh Ross and Averi Cuddeback earned a straight-set victory 21-17, 21-17, while Reagan Malpass and Katelyn Bunting picked up a 21-16, 21-13 win. Kaylee Lancaster and Riley Newton also secured a strong 21-17, 21-10 victory.

Olivia Bowman and Kennedy Koziarz pushed their opponents to three sets before falling 21-8, 12-21, 15-8, while Giannie Small and Madison Scheffler dropped a 21-17, 21-17 decision. Anyssia Mains and Ava Hancock also competed in exhibition play during the second session.

The Flyers will continue their spring break trip Friday with a doubleheader against St. Johns River State College in Palatka. The matches are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. before the team returns home later that evening.