Gulf Coast falls to Verot in tight five-setter

NAPLES — Karina Mambuca knew her Gulf Coast volleyball team was better than the team that easily got swept out of Bishop Verot’s gym last week.

That loss, the Sharks’ first of the season, ate at Mambuca for six days, leading up to Monday’s rematch.

“As soon as that game ended I was texting all our fans, ‘You guys have to come out because it’s going to be a battle this time,’” Mambuca said.

The senior captain was right. Fueled by revenge after failing to break 20 points in three sets Sept. 28 against the Vikings, Gulf Coast pushed undefeated Bishop Verot to the brink Monday.

Though the Sharks fell just short of beating the Vikings, the Gulf Coast players and coach had nothing bad to say about the 25-10, 23-25, 14-25, 25-21, 23-21 loss.

“(The Vikings) haven’t lost a match all year, and I guarantee they haven’t had a match that close,” Sharks coach Christy Wright said.

Bishop Verot improved to 16-0 and won its 39th straight regular season match. Two years ago today was the Vikings last loss outside of the postseason.

The Sharks (13-3), though, put up the toughest fight Bishop Verot had seen this season. When Gulf Coast won the second and third sets, it was just the seventh and eighth time this season the Vikings had dropped a set.

Monday’s game also was the second time Bishop Verot had gone to a fifth set. And what a fifth set this was.

Gulf Coast took a 9-6 lead in the decisive set, but the Vikings tied the score at 12, and neither team led by more than a point until the end. The Sharks had four match points, while Bishop Verot finally won on its fifth match point.

The fifth set is played to 15, but teams must win by two.

“That was crazy,” Mambuca said. “I’m proud of us. Bishop Verot is a good team, and they’re going to get those kills when they need to. I really thought we had it tonight.”

Mambuca led the way as the Sharks won the second and third sets. She had 17 kills and 14 blocks. Fellow senior Holly Reschke had a team-high 22 kills, while Kelly Lancellot added seven kills and nine blocks.

The Sharks also had a chance to close out the Vikings in the fourth set. Gulf Coast led 17-13, just eight points away from victory, but Bishop Verot scored eight straight points to take the lead and control of the set.

Since starting the year with 13 straight victories, Gulf Coast has lost three straight, all in the past six days. Sandwiched inside the Sharks’ two losses to Bishop Verot was a loss Wednesday at Class 5A-District 10 rival Venice.

But after last week’s disappointing loss at Bishop Verot, Wright couldn’t find fault with the way her team played the final four sets Monday.

“I hate losing,” Wright said, “but at the same time, (the Sharks) played their hearts out. This was the best volleyball match I’ve seen a Gulf Coast team play.”

This year’s Gulf Coast seniors will graduate having never beaten Bishop Verot. In the past four regular seasons, the Sharks have lost just 16 matches. Six of those losses have been to the Vikings.