More BCHS Volleyball

• Prep volleyball: Gulf Coast rebounds in fifth set to top Barron in district semifinal
• Prep volleyball: Gulf Coast, Barron advance, will meet in 5A-15 semifinal
• Prep volleyball: District tournament pairings

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It was Barron Collier’s home court tournament, but crosstown Class 5A rival Gulf Coast made the gym feel like home for the Sharks on the final night of Barron’s preseason Spike Classic volleyball tournament.

Gulf Coast’s student cheering contingent actually outnumbered the Cougars’ section, as the Sharks played to their crowd and beat the Cougars in four sets (20-25, 25-22, 25-19 and 25-18) on Wednesday night. The win over Barron gave Gulf Coast a 2-0 record in the Classic, joining Naples, which defeated Barron in five sets on Tuesday night.

Gulf Coast defeated Golden Gate in three straight sets on Tuesday night, and Naples also defeated the Titans in three straight on Wednesday.

After losing the first set to Barron on Wednesday, Gulf Coast won the next three behind stellar setting and all-around play from senior Sundai Weston, who added solid defense and blocking in addition to her assists.

“We didn’t play well,” Sharks coach Christy Wright said. “But I think that’s the sign of a good team, that we can still take the game even when we aren’t playing our best.”

Juniors Holly Reschke and Karina Mambuca were strong in the front row for Gulf Coast, and the Sharks were able to take advantage of a slight height advantage against Barron Collier.

“I had to kind of get into (Reschke and Mambuca) after the first game,” Wright said. “They’re experienced, and I told ‘em, ‘You guys need to take over the game.’ ’’

Barron kept it interesting with gritty defense, especially from junior libero Emma Joseph and senior outside hitter Christine Stetler.

Basketball standout Christine Mansour was a force at middle hitter for the Cougars, but she had a tough matchup with 6-foot Sharks sophomore Kelly Lancellot.

NAPLES SHUTS OUT GOLDEN GATE: After winning Class 4A-District 12 for the past three years, the Naples volleyball team looked set to continue tradition this week in Barron Collier’s preseason Spike Classic tournament.

The Golden Eagles went undefeated in the two-day tournament, beating Golden Gate in straight sets on Wednesday and host team Barron Collier in a tightly contested five-set match on Tuesday.

“We know we have the talent, we just need to put it all together,” Golden Eagles coach Rich Hubbard said on Wednesday. “Last night, it was like: it’s already here. ... Tonight we came out a little more flat, but it’s nice to know we could still pull out the win.’’

Naples faced Golden Gate on Wednesday night in a rematch of last year’s district final, and things didn’t look all that different. Like last year, Naples won in straight sets, but also like last year, the Titans kept it close, losing 25-16, 25-22 and 25-22.

This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Golden Eagles, who graduated middle hitter Cassie Mang, the 2007 Daily News volleyball player of the year, as well as setter Taryn Koslow and top outside hitter Sissy Rancier. Naples returned just one starter from last year’s team: outside hitter Nina Schmidt.

On Wednesday, though, middle hitters Samantha High and Angela Faulkner looked more than equipped to carry the load. High and Faulkner — who had seven kills — were especially effective running quick sets out of the middle from sophomore setter Katie Raile, who is in just her second year at the position.

Raile collected 22 assists and three assists in the match.

“We like to call it not rebuilding but reloading,” Hubbard said.

Fourth-year starting setter Claudia Cabrera looked sharp for Golden Gate, including a run of nine straight service points to start the third set.

But Naples got the ball back on an over the net call on Marjorie Eldira, and the Golden Eagles quickly got back within three behind Schmidt’s steady serving.

The Titans, who returned three starters from last year’s district runner-up team, had a front-row size advantage against Naples but were plagued by hitting and service errors at crucial times during the match.

Marissa Baker had seven kills and 10 digs to lead the Golden Eagles.