Lady Noles Volleyball
Lady Noles Volleyball
Together Everyone Achieves More!
Updated: 6/10/2015
Southeast takes title at 7-team tourney
SARASOTA -- Southeast came away with the championship of a seven-team tournament at Booker High School on Saturday.
In the semifinals, Southeast beat Bradenton Prep, 25-19, 25-28. In the finals, Southeast beat North Port, 21-25, 25-20, 15-4.
In the consolation round, Palmetto defeated Booker 25-15, 25-11 and Hardee 25-19, 25-21. In the third-place match, Sarasota Christian defeated Bradenton Prep 25-22, 24-26, 15-9. In the Gold match, North Port defeated Sarasota Christian 25-18, 25-19, and Southeast defeated Bradenton Prep 25-18, 25-22.
In the tournament for the Lady 'Noles, Hanah Bartges 15 kills, three aces and six digs; Katie DiGirolamo had 22 kills and three blocks; Alyssa Hernandez had three aces and 34 assists; Kristen Moricz had an ace and 10 digs; and Savannah Byl two kills, two aces, a pair of blocks and seven digs.
DiGirolamo and Bartges were selected to the all-tournament team, along with Booker's Kylie Connor, Bradenton Prep's Christina Rigo, Hardee's Melissa Hall, North Port's Shelby Barnes and Emily Beard, Palmetto's Aubrey Hawkins and Sarasota Christian's Lexi Hochstetler.
Southeast (17-6) will host Port Charlotte on Senior Night, Thursday at 7 p.m.
Southeast volleyball shines at BPA Patriot Invitational
Southeast High's Hannah Bartges had 14 kills and 13 aces, Katie DiGirolamo had 27 kills and three blocks, and Savannah Byl had 11 kills and nine aces as the Seminoles won three matches in BPA Patriot Invitational on Friday at Bradenton Prep.
Southeast defeated Wauchula Hardee 25-8, 25-16; Booker 25-19, 25-6 and Sarasota Christian 25-18, 25-19.
Bradenton Prep defeated Palmetto 25-21, 25-15, 26-24.
Southeast lost more than a volleyball game to Manatee
Not only did the Southeast High volleyball team suffer its first loss of the season to Manatee on Wednesday night, the Seminoles lost senior middle blocker Amanda Garofalo for up to two weeks with an ankle sprain. Garofalo went down in the second game of the Seminoles' 25-18, 25-22, 25-6 loss to the Hurricanes in a Class 5A-District 12 contest.
"It's going to affect any team when you lose a top player," coach Carmine Garofalo said of his team, which fell to 9-1 overall and 0-1 in district play. "Amanda is one of our better blockers and consistent hitters."
The game was also emotional because defensive specialist Carli Kile played in her final game because her family is moving out of state.
The Noles will take the court this weekend as participants in the county tournament at Manatee Community College at 7 p.m. Friday night against Bradenton Christian. They are in Pool B with Braden River, Lakewood Ranch and Bradenton Christian.
"We are going to have to make some adjustments," Garofalo said. "We played two good games. We will bounce back. It's our first lost of the season, and I don't think it's anything to be discouraged about, so we've got to move forward."
Noles smash Tigers
Southeast keeps its record perfect in 3-0 win over Palmetto
When your team has depth, you can tinker with it. When your team is fundamentally in check, you can experiment. And, when your team is undefeated, you can take chances.
Southeast High volleyball coach Carmine Garofalo had these things in mind when the Seminoles hosted Palmetto on Monday night.
What he figured out isn't known, but, Southeast cruised past the Tigers 3-0 in a non-district contest.
"We tried two or three different lineups and two or three positions," said Garofalo, whose team downed Palmetto - 25-12, 25-14, 25-18 - improving its record to 9-0. "Those things can come back to bite you, but you have to try different things, because you play different teams, injuries happen. It would be nice to win every game 25-0, but you can't always do that."
Southeast was paced by Amanda Garofalo (nine kills, two aces), Katie DiGirolamo (six kills, four aces) and Alyssa Hernandez (five kills, four aces).
It was sheer power and scoring spurts that guided the Noles past the Tigers (3-7).
In the first game, Southeast had two scoring runs of eight consecutive points. In the second game, the Noles ran off five and nine consecutive points, and in the final game, Southeast had two scoring spurts of six straight points.
For the Tigers, Becca Foy had 34 digs, and Kayce Hatcher had three aces.
Palmetto is in a youth movement with only one senior and four juniors. Tigers coach Rachel Taylor said her team could be better.
"They performed with no confidence, and that was the result of the game," she said. "If you don't have confidence in yourself and push yourself to win, it's not going to happen.
"I tell them every day that each of them are amazing volleyball players, and just because they are young doesn't mean they can't go home with wins." On Monday, a win wasn't in the forecast.
One of the Noles' toughest tests of the season will come Wednesday when they travel to Manatee for a Class 5A-District 12 matchup. Manatee and Venice have been the dominant teams in past years, and Southeast's undefeated record will be on the line.
"Manatee is a great team, and we have a lot of respect for them," Garofalo said. "The have really great players in Courtney McDonald and Taylor Mealy. They have some good players that we got to find a way to stop. I'm most concerned about can our players do their jobs well. If they do that and at the end of the game we don't win, so be it. Then I will be happy with that."
Southeast stays unbeaten
BRADENTON -- Southeast improved to 7-0 on the season with a 20-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-20 win over visiting Saint Stephen's.
Alyssa Hernandez (30 assists, 11 digs), Katie DiGirolamo (17 kills, seven blocks), Amanda Garofalo (eight kills, five blocks, three aces), Hanna Bartges (14 digs, nine kills) and Kristin Moricz (11 digs, three aces).
Cothron's Falcons give Noles tough game
Nancy Cothron doesn't put much stock into a volleyball program's size.
Whether a team competes in Class 5A or 1A, all that matters is how hard its players work over the summer. It doesn't matter if they're playing club ball or on the beach.
"I see the difference in the players that put the time in," said Cothron, Saint Stephen's volleyball coach.
Nonetheless, the Class 2A Falcons did play well Monday night, when they lost 3-1 to Class 5A Southeast. The much-improved Seminoles are 7-0, and Saint Stephen's went into their gym and made each game close, as each contest was decided by five points or less.
"My girls were pretty upset because they played with a lot of those girls (in club), their buddies, and they thought they could beat them," Cothron said. "But Southeast wasn't as strong on the block the last time we faced them."
Despite the setback - and an onset of a cold circulating around the team - Cothron hopes the Falcons (2-4) channel some of the good play into tonight's home game with Class 2A-District 11 foe St. Petersburg Shorecrest.
Southeast volleyball continues strong start
Carmine Garofalo is not surprised Southeast High's volleyball team is off to a fast start.
The Seminoles head coach saw how hard they worked over the summer playing club ball. Communication and defense were Southeast's weak areas last season. The Noles have sharpened those skills.
The Noles are 7-0 and will look to extend their winning streak Thursday night against Lakewood Ranch.
"They always have a good team," Garofalo said of Saint Stephen's. "They are scrappy, and I think this will be one of the more challenging matches this year."
What is surprising is the Noles are 3-0 in Class 5A-District 12. Southeast has defeated North Port and Port Charlotte on the road and beat Charlotte at home.
"We use our players successfully," Garofalo said. "Our girls have been doing what they are supposed to do. I thought we were going to surprise some people, and we have done that."
SOUTHEAST 3, PORT CHARLOTTE 0 - Alyssa Hernandez had three aces and 18 assists as the visiting Seminoles (4-0) continued their strong start with a 25-20, 25-22, 25-22 victory.
Other top performers included Hanna Bartges (four kills, six aces, 10 digs), Amanda Garofalo (nine kills, four aces), Katie DiGirolamo (eight kills, three aces) and Kristin Moricz (eight digs).
Southeast holds off Port Charlotte
PORT CHARLOTTE -- Amanda Garofalo and Katy DiGirolamo led Southeast High with a combined 17 kills and seven aces as the Lady Seminoles swept Port Charlotte High, 25-20, 25-22, 25-22.
Hannah Bartges recorded four kills, six aces and 10 digs for Southeast. Garofalo also added two blocks.
The Lady Seminoles improved to 4-0 on the season and will host a tri-match Saturday against Braden River and Brookesville Central. Southeast will also host Saint Stephen's on Monday at 7 p.m.
'Noles spike Bobcats
NORTH PORT -- Southeast High outlasted host North Port High 22-25, 25-15, 21-25, 25-21, 15-3 on Monday night.
Brittany Burnett had 29 assists for the Lady Bobcats while Tara Gilot added 12 kills and Daniela Rodriguez had 16 digs.
09/11/07
Seminoles raid North Port
NORTH PORT -- The North Port High volleyball team lost again Monday night at The Cage, suffering a heartbreaking loss to the visiting Southeast Seminoles. But there is no denying that in just six matches the quality of play these Bobcats have put forth is significantly enhanced.
"North Port keeps improving every time we play them. ... I've been very impressed," Southeast head coach Carmine Garofalo said after his team's 22-25, 25-15, 21-25, 25-21, 15-3 victory.
The two teams opened the regular season against each other back on Aug. 28, when Southeast (3-0) swept North Port with relative ease. The Bobcats (1-6) also lost in three games during a preseason meeting.
So, what's different?
"I think they're just passing much better," Garofalo insisted. "And they played pretty good defense. Their libero, No. 12 (Daniela Rodriguez), made some great digs back there. Plus they were strong serving tonight. Whenever you serve tough ... you're going to have a chance to win."
The Bobcats certainly had their chances Monday night. Leading two games to one, North Port held a 17-13 lead and seemed well on its way to victory.
Rodriguez, a junior co-captain, provided steady leadership on defense with a team-high 16 digs. Sophomore Tara Gilot led the offense with 12 kills, and junior Emily Beard had five of the Bobcats' 10 aces.
But that's when everything fell apart, starting when North Port's ensuing serve sailed into the net. Three more Bobcats' errors helped the Seminoles mount a 10-0 run and assume command of the game, 23-17. The impressive streak also shifted the momentum squarely behind Southeast, which held on for the 25-21 Game 4 win.
The Seminoles did not waste time in the decisive Game 5, jumping out 8-0 and cruising to the finish line.
Despite the heartbreaking loss, first-year head coach Becky Halbert acknowledged her Bobcats have already made this season a success.
"Today we actually had them reevaluate their goals," Bobcats head coach Becky Halbert said, "because they've already reached them since the preseason.
"We've improved with leaps and bounds, the wins will come."
North Port looks for its second win 7 p.m. tonight in a District 5A-12 match at Lakewood Ranch.
SOUTHEAST 3, PUNTA GORDA CHARLOTTE 1 - Hannah Bartges had 15 kills, three aces and five digs as the host Seminoles beat the Tarpons 25-18, 25-18, 23-25, 25-14.
It was the first time in Carmine Garofalo's four years as Southeast coach that the Noles (2-0) had beaten Charlotte.
Other starts for Southeast included Katie DiGirolamo (13 kills, four aces, eight digs), Amanda Garofalo (13 kills, five aces, six digs, five blocks) and Alyssa Hernandez (32 assists, 12 digs, four aces).
9-7/07
BRADENTON -- Sophomores Hannah Bartges and Katie DiGirolamo accumulated 28 kills and seven aces as Southeast High defeated district rival Charlotte in four games 25-18, 25-18, 23-25, 25-14.
The Lady Noles (2-0) received a major contribution from junior Amanda Garofalo, who had 13 kills, five aces, five digs and six blocks. Setter Alyssa Hernandez also had 32 assists, 12 digs and four aces.
Southeast will play at North Port at 7 p.m. Monday.
Southeast hammers North Port in opener
Katie DiGirolamo's summer consisted of hard work. The Southeast High sophomore middle blocker played volleyball on the beaches for her club team (Sarasota Volleyball Academy) and in camps.
She could have had a normal summer, like frequenting the mall or going on a nice vacation or laying out on the beach for a fresh tan, instead DiGirolamo labored to get better.
It showed Tuesday night as DiGirolamo led the host Noles past North Port 25-18, 25-15, 25-19 in a Class 5A-District 12 opener. It was the regular season opener for both teams.
"I worked all year round on volleyball," DiGirolamo said. "I just love the sport, and I wanted to get better."
The Bobcats (0-1, 0-1 5A-12) paid for DiGirolamo's hard work and her aggressive play at the net, and her solid defense gave North Port fits all night. DiGirolamo had 10 kills, six digs and two blocks.
With the Noles (1-0, 1-0) being a young team, having only two seniors, it was imperative they got off to a fast start.
"I think it was a really big win for us," DiGirolamo said. "We earned everything we got out here. We had to work for our points.
"It was the first game of the season, and this will give us a lot of confidence for the rest of the season."
The Noles were rarely challenged throughout the three games. In the first match, Southeast jumped out to a 12-4 lead on five service points by DiGirolamo. North Port rallied to pull even at 15 apiece, but the Noles picked up their play, scoring 10 of 13 points to end the game.
In the second game, Southeast built a 15-5 advantage and cruised to a 25-15 win. However, the Bobcats didn't go away easy. In the third game, North Port held an early one-point lead - 13-12 - when Amanda Garofalo made a game-challenging block, which sparked a Noles five-point run as Southeast won the final game by six points. Amanda Garofalo had nine kills, seven blocks and three digs.
"The team worked well together (Tuesday)," coach Garofalo said. "They scrambled a lot and dug a lot of balls in the backcourt. Defensively, I think we did a good job. Not too many balls dropped."
The Noles finished 7-16 last season, and coach Garofalo realized the team needed to be more aggressive and faster if they wanted to compete against district rivals Manatee and Venice. However, Tuesday night was an impressive showing for his team.
The Noles defeated the Bobcats last week in the Preseason Classic, and Southeast is showing the type of consistency Garofalo is looking for.
"That last rally was big for our team," coach Garofalo said. "The key to any sport is consistency. So to play the same team again and beat them shows the consistency that we need."
Southeast volleyball team much more experienced this time around
Youth and inexperience hurt the Southeast volleyball team last year. There was little chemistry, and physically, the Noles weren't strong as they needed to be.
As a result, Southeast finished 7-16. Coach Carmine Garofalo expects 2007 to be a different year.
"The girls stuck together, and they progressed over the off-season," Garofalo said. "Some of them played during the winter in club ball and have made tremendous strides."
The improvements were on display last week as the Noles won the Southeast Preseason Classic, beating North Port and Braden River behind stellar play from junior Amanda Garofalo and sophomores Katie DiGirolamo and Alyssa Hernandez.
Last season's setback could materialize into gains this season. "All of these girls got a lot of playing time last year," said Garofalo, who will have two seniors on this season's roster. "They will work together as a team, and they get along very well. Liking who you are playing with goes a long way for the game."
The Noles have their work cut out for them in a competitive Class 5A-District 12 that features defending state champion Venice and a solid Manatee team. The Indians are a perennial power, and the Canes will feature at least three girls 6 feet or taller. So there is no question what's ahead for Southeast.
But there's no shortage on expectations for the Noles. "This will be a tough season," Garofalo said. "We are very excited about this season. The girls have started very well. If we stay healthy and continue improving, I think we have a great shot of finishing in the top three in the district and going past the first round of the district and battle for one of those two spots in the regional finals."
Southeast's Garofalo happy with preseason showing by volleyball team
Coach Carmine Garofalo saw some promising signs from his varsity volleyball team Wednesday night.
Garofalo's team is hosting a two-day Preseason Volleyball Classic. The Seminoles beat North Port 25-16, 25-14, 26-16.
The team's hustle and ability to play together impressed Garofalo. "The girls started off nervous," Garofalo said. "They implemented some of the things we talked about like being aggressive, but don't make unforced errors. We eliminated all of our errors and the girls worked hard. It was an all- around team effort."
Amanda Garofalo and Katie Digirolamo had standout performances, but coach Garofalo also took notice in sophomore setter Alyssa Hernandez's feats. Only in her second year, Hernandez had three aces and two kills in her first time playing the setter's position.
"She's very quick," coach Garofalo said. "She always managed to put up a ball that our hitters could hit."
The Noles' hustle resulted in the team collecting 28 kills for the three games. "I think our most important strength will be chemistry," coach Garofalo said. "We will have 12 girls this season, as opposed to eight last year, and will utilize the strengths of each individual player. Our players are getting along and working together, and if we can continue to do that, they will be good together."
Noles' Hernandez setting stable for teammates
She moved across the court with ease, with grace. And if, by chance, she found herself out of place when it was time to toss the ball in the air for one of her teammates to smash it, she was in place.
Maybe Alyssa Hernandez didn't realize it, but she had a heck of a game as she and the Southeast High volleyball team pummeled Lakewood Ranch High 25-21, 25-13 and 25-20 on Wednesday at the Noles' gymnasium.
Hernandez, a sophomore setter for Southeast, collected 22 assists.
"Alyssa Hernandez has done an outstanding job, and she is extremely quick," Southeast coach Carmine Garofalo said. "She has done a good job of passing and setting for our hitters to hit."
Maybe her athleticism has something to do with her supreme setting ability as she also plays soccer and track and field. Southeast has only two seniors but has gotten off to a great start at 8-0.
Hernandez knows why.
"We trained a lot over the summer, and we all became better friends," the 5-foot-10 Hernandez said. "Before games we go out to eat, and we go swimming to other people's houses, and we pretty much go everywhere together. This year has been very fun so far."
The Noles will try to keep their winning streak alive when they travel to Class 5A-District 12 opponent Manatee at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Noles stay perfect
By RYAN T. BOYD
The Southeast High volleyball team is developing a habit. Not a good one, but a habit nonetheless. In several games this season, the Seminoles have been caught in early deficits. Ten points here. Fifteen points there. No sweat.
"We may start slow, and may be behind," Noles coach Carmine Garofalo said Tuesday night after his team clawed past Lakewood Ranch 25-21, 25-13, 25-20 in a Class 5A-District 12 contest at Southeast. "But somehow they find a way to bring it back. They stay composed, and they work hard and fight back."
What is more impressive is Southeast improved its record to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in district play.
In the first game, the Mustangs built a six-point lead and watched it wither away behind the Noles' strong defense at the net and hustle. From that point, Southeast had control of the game. Junior middle blocker Amanda Garofalo led the Noles with seven blocks, five aces and three kills, and Katie DiGirolamo, a sophomore middle blocker, tossed in 11 kills.
"The girls have gained a lot of confidence," Garofalo said. "That confidence is a huge in anything you do, especially with the young team that we have. You become what you think about. If you think you can win, then you walk onto the court with that confidence."
Not to mention, the Noles didn't want to taste defeat.
"This game was very big, because we wanted to keep up our undefeated record," said Noles setter Alyssa Hernandez, who had 22 assists. "We all are working together as a team, and last year we didn't do that, and we are playing well."
For Lakewood Ranch (3-6, 3-3), Amanda Persails had 20 digs and Corey Hanewich had five blocks.
The Mustangs fell to a district opponent for the second straight night. On Tuesday, Lakewood Ranch lost to Manatee 3-0.
"You can't pinpoint one thing we did wrong," Mustangs coach Amy Perry said. "It was some hitting, some digging, some in the blocks at the net, but there was no consistent thing that went wrong with our team. This team is not that far off, because I have some great athletes, some of them just need to play year-round."
Manatee Game
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Central High Game
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