#9 Vikings clinch 2021 Sun-Lakes Conference Championship

Avon Park, FL  The #9 SJR State College Vikings clinched their first ever Sun Lakes Conference Championship with a 25-18, 25-18, 22-25, 25-20 win over South Florida State College and improved their record to 26-4, 15-1 in conference play.

Set 1 25-18

The Vikings built an early lead forcing a South Florida timeout at 11-6.  SJR State continued to sideout efficiently and finished the set on a kill in the middle from Cassidy Casey.  Rickie Sheets led the Vikings with 5 kills in the set.

Set 2 25-18

SJR State jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a serving run from Mone Gordon.  The two teams traded points the rest of the way with the Vikings winning by 7.   Mayya Kucherova had 5 kills and Dariana Luna had 12 digs in the set to lead the Vikings.  

Set 3  22-25

South Florida started fast and built a 15-12 lead before the Vikings caught them at 17 all.  Down 21-22 SJR was unable to maintain any momentum after a Panther ace and fell by 3 points.  Casey had 6 kills to lead the Vikings.  

Set 4 25-20

SJR State was up 7-5 before Emily Evans went on a 7 point serving run to give the Vikings a 14-5 lead.  The Panthers fought back, narrowing the lead to 21-19 before a 4-1 run ended the match in the Vikings favor.  Sheets had 7 kills including her 650th making her the all-time kill leader for SJR State.  

LEADERS

Kills - Rickie Sheets 19

Assists - Mone Gordon 49

Digs - Dariana Luna 26

Aces - Gordon and Casey 2

Blocks - Hope Harrington 4

Points - Rickie Sheets 19.5

NOTES

Gordon had another double double, 49 assists and 12 digs, her 11th of the season

Luna had her 14th 20+ dig match of the season

Casey hit .345 or better for the 7th time this season

Cohen's Comments

Winning a conference championship is a goal for us every year and to accomplish it this season, with all the challenges of Covid and a larger conference (10 teams), is something I will never forget.   

Up Next

The Vikings host Florida State College Jacksonville on Tuesday, October 19th, 6PM start time.