Volleyball: Gulf Breeze extends win streak to 11 after win over Pensacola Catholic

Greg Hollis, Pensacola News Journal
·3 min read

Gulf Breeze put together another dominant performance in its win at Pensacola Catholic on Thursday evening.

The Dolphins won in three straight sets 25-16, 25-16 and 25-17 to nail down their 11th straight victory and improve their record to 16-3 this season.

Camryn Brooks led the way again for Gulf Breeze. The senior outside hitter came into the game leading the team with 190 kills. She added another 13 kills in the matchup on Thursday.

"Coming in, we tried to talk about being discipline. We knew (the Dolphins) were a strong team and they are firing on all cylinders right now," said Pensacola Catholic head coach Clay Carrell. "They are an excellent-coached team. So I told the girls play each point and not give up runs."

FHSAA Rankings: Pine Forest football, Gulf Breeze volleyball top area in latest RPI rankings

PNJ Volleyball Leaderboard: Escambia, Santa Rosa Counties in late September

PNJ Super Seniors: 10 volleyball seniors to watch entering the 2022 season

Savannah Browning (No. 13) and her Gulf Breeze teammates celebrate their victory over Catholic on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. The Dolphins defeated the Crusaders in three straight games, 25-16, 25-16, 25-17.
Savannah Browning (No. 13) and her Gulf Breeze teammates celebrate their victory over Catholic on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. The Dolphins defeated the Crusaders in three straight games, 25-16, 25-16, 25-17.

Pensacola Catholic (11-9) struggled with Gulf Breeze's frontline. The Crusader attacks seemed to always meet the outstretched arms by either senior outside hitter Allison McLaughlin or senior middle hitter Alana Kolb. That resistance at the net was the key to the match.

"We were off on a couple of things tonight, but I do want to credit our blocking," Dolphins head coach Jasmine King said. "Our blocking was really on tonight; not necessarily getting those stuff blocks to end the rally, but getting a lot of good touches to slow the ball down for our defense to convert into good digs."

Even when everything wasn't going right, Gulf Breeze still had more than enough. That's how life has been for the Dolphins over the past month.

Since falling to Seacrest Country Day during the Nike Tournament of Champions on Labor Day weekend, Gulf Breeze has not lost a set in 10 of the 11 games. The lone exception was a five-set victory over Mosley, the defending Class 5A champions, on Sept. 13.

"It is definitely encouraging, and I didn't even know that," King said. "I don't want to put that much pressure on them because I think if they start to think we won this many games in a row, then we are going to have an even bigger target on our back."

Gulf Breeze High School's Bella Satterwhite (No. 15) digs a Catholic High School serve during Thursday night's match against the Crusaders. The Dolphins defeated the Crusaders in three straight games, 25-16, 25-16, 25-17.
Gulf Breeze High School's Bella Satterwhite (No. 15) digs a Catholic High School serve during Thursday night's match against the Crusaders. The Dolphins defeated the Crusaders in three straight games, 25-16, 25-16, 25-17.

King's squad is clicking on all cylinders and the team chemistry is undeniable.

The bench is cheering loud for their teammates on the floor. In timeouts, the players are coaching up each other instead of leaving it all up to the coaches, and they are just genuinely having fun being around each other.

King has also made it in emphasis to get younger players more in-game experience. In the playoffs, you never know who you are going to have to turn to give your team a boost or play a bigger role if a starter goes down with an injury.

"Everything we do now is preparing us for the playoffs," King said. "Whether we are on a 11-game losing streak or 11-game winning streak. None of that matters unless we can perform in the playoffs."

Catholic HIgh's Mallory Zettler (No. 16) digs a Gulf Breeze serve during match play Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. Gulf Breeze defeated Catholics 25-16,25-16, 25-17.
Catholic HIgh's Mallory Zettler (No. 16) digs a Gulf Breeze serve during match play Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. Gulf Breeze defeated Catholics 25-16,25-16, 25-17.

The Dolphins and Crusaders will face off for a third time on Oct. 11 at Gulf Breeze. Both teams also have five more games left in the regular season before their respective district tournaments start.

Greg Hollis is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at ghollis@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Volleyball: Gulf Breeze extends win streak to 11 after sweeping Catholic