PUNTA GORDA - Sometimes, youth is an advantage. Other times, it's a hindrance. In Charlotte's case, what forced the Tarpons to struggle during Saturday morning's District 5A-10 tournament win over Manatee may just be the same thing that keeps them in the hunt for a regional berth. Inexperience. Charlotte's team plays one senior, four juniors and seven sophomores. In a theme that has repeated itself throughout their season, the Tarpons again matched their opponent's level of play and energy. At first glance, it appeared as if that was going to cost them the match, and end their season. But somewhere along the way to their 14-25, 25-13, 30-28, 25-22 win over the Hurricanes, the Tarpons decided they wanted to play. "That first game, we just couldn't find the court," Charlotte coach Michelle Dill said. "We hit a lot of balls out, there were communication errors and passing errors. ... We didn't play like we were awake." Midway through the third game, following two blowout games that saw the teams split wins, Charlotte kicked up the intensity. Attacks that earlier had sailed off their mark were pinpoint and the defense impenetrable, turning a 18-15 deficit into first a 24-all tie, and eventually a 30-28 win. Charlotte (14-8) trailed 14-11 during the final game, but went on a 11-4 run complemented by three consecutive aces from JaNhea Beisner, to take control a final time. When Manatee player Kayla Armer's match point serve was no good, the Tarpons flooded the court in celebration. This is where youth again comes into play: The Tarpons now face district powerhouse Venice at 7 p.m. Tuesday for the right to go to regionals. Venice (17-9) not only is stocked with 11 upperclassmen who have been playing together for nearly 10 years, the Indians' losses came against state-ranked squads in Florida, Kentucky and Illinois. Last season before she became the Tarpons' coach, Dill attended the Charlotte-Venice match. It wasn't pretty. "(Charlotte) pretty much just laid down and let them run over them last year," she said. "I saw a huge difference when we played (Venice) this year." The Indians swept the Tarpons on Oct. 13, but Charlotte did anything but give up. Beisner, a sophomore who led all players with 16 digs Saturday, wasn't about to back down from Tuesday's challenge. "If we're on, we can hang with them," Beisner said. "And if not, we're still going to show Venice what they're going to have to deal with for the next two years."