Volleyball captures the conference title, again

The HCC Hawks volleyball team has won the Sun Coast Conference title for the second consecutive year, by beating Pasco Hernando Community College on October 15^th. To win the title, the Hawks didn’t only have to beat P.H.C.C. but they had to hold them to 66 points. Since they only held them to 49 points they had to sweep them.

“I am very proud of the girls for taking it upon themselves to achieve such an honor,” said head volleyball coach Gary Larkin. “It wasn’t on my list of team goals, but it feels great.”

Larkin and the team say that the teams’ blocking played a major role in clinching the district title. The Hawks had a total of 15 blocks.

The Hawks have their entire team to thank, especially their 6 returning players. Of those players, sophomore Lindsey Rees has shown her leadership throughout the whole season by being an on court captain and leader.

“She is responsible for running the offense and distributing the ball to our hitters,” said Larkin.

Even though the team is excited about winning the conference, they still have a lot of work to do, and they cannot sit back and relax just yet.

Larkin and the hawks are concentrating on managing errors and controlling the side of the set. The Hawks have strength with aggressive play, in both attacking and blocking.

The team has higher goals for this season, as state and national tournaments are approaching.

“All of our work is to win the Gulf District Championship, which means we would be invited to the NJCAA National Championships,” said Larkin.

The state championships are held Nov 5-7, at Polk State College, with the national tournament starting on Nov 21 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

For more news and information on Hawks volleyball, visit hccfl.edu/athletics.aspx.