SARASOTA - They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It might also be the quickest path to a cure for breast cancer.

High school volleyball rivals Sarasota and Riverview teamed to raise more than $1,000 for that cause Wednesday night, a pink-out that mimicked the two Manatee-Southeast "Volley For The Cure" matches. The Sailors (5-12) also managed another first for their school -- a convincing 25-19, 25-17, 25-23 win in Riverview's new gym.

"We felt we needed to win," said Sarasota senior Tara Schiessle. "It's something that we've all talked about, beating (Riverview) at their new house."

Schessle, a 6-foot-2 right-side hitter, had eight kills and six blocks, and Sarasota led every game almost from the beginning.

Just 24 hours earlier, the Sailors were swept in three games by Cardinal Mooney.

"We did a lot of soul-searching last night," said Sarasota coach Kelly Risley. "I told the girls they have to be here for a reason, and find a way to support each other, regardless of their roles on the team.

"I think that was the difference tonight."

Then there was Riverview coach Nina Singleton's take.

"My theory is that consistency is not the forte of either one of our teams," she said. "I watched (Sarasota) play Mooney and everything was off. So I kind of suspected they would be on (Wednesday)."

Alex Perrone (six kills) had a kill and a block, while teammate Paige Charron (seven kills) added an ace, during a 6-0 Sarasota run that broke a 4-4 tie early in the first game. There were 6-0 and 6-1 rallies by the Rams (7-13) late in the first and third games, and sophomore Chelsea Gobourne's smash got them within 24-23 in the third, but nothing really ever clicked for Riverview.

Schessle ended the match with a two-handed push that found the back left corner, off a backset by Kaylyn Halbert (41 assists).

"A lot of it was the atmosphere," said Sarasota libero Noelle Leverentz, a 3.8 student at Pine View School who had 18 digs. "We pushed ourselves to play harder. We were more energetic and we definitely stepped up our thought process."

Bree Scarbrough led Riverview with nine kills, six blocks, three digs and two aces, while fellow junior Jayma Copeland added seven kills and six digs. Gobourne chipped in with five blocks and Taylor Combs had 12 digs.

The event will shift to Sarasota during next year's Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"Any time you have an opportunity to get kids involved in something like this, I think it helps," Risley said. "Nina and I played volleyball together in high school. It's kind of neat that we can work together."

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