By FRANCIS FEDOR
You may be used to, or expecting to see, a Sumner football write-up in this space. Ian forced Hillsborough county to put aside sports to rightfully focus on families protecting themselves from what was a very dangerous storm that has devastated some of our southern neighbors as it drifted south. Games that would’ve been usually played on Friday nights have been rescheduled to Monday, October 3. Sumner will face-off against Durant in a crucial game for Sumner to get back on track.
The delay has offered an opportunity to highlight another Sumner HS group that is quietly having an amazing season. The Stingray girls varsity volleyball team is in the midst of a 14-4 season with only three games left to play in the season (four, if they make-up the Spoto match lost to the storm). The story of the senior laden Sumner girl’s varsity starts out with a loss to Wharton. The wildcats have become a thorn in the side to Sumner high school, beating the girls to start the season and the boys football program just two Fridays ago. The Stingray varsity would run off a string of seven games without a loss, beating South Shore rivals East Bay and Lennard in that stretch. They also knocked off Durant. The Stingrays struggled in a mid-season tourney losing two games to end the tourney that they had started with three wins. Sumner lost to Newsome on its first game after the tournament, but is currently on a four-game win streak that includes wins against East Bay, for the second time this season, and Riverview in a loud and raucous Sumner HS gymnasium. The team closees out its regular season with home games against Brandon and Strawberry Crest before it moves to post season play. The Stingrays are second in their district standings with only Newsome, a perfect 3-0 in district play. Ironically, the Stingrays hold the better overall winning percentage at .778 to Newsome’s .632.
Stingray junior NaKia Reed tosses the ball in the air as she prepares to serve.
Sumner junior Oliva Mills leaps above the net to be in position to make a block.
Stingray’s senior Kennedy Reed goes airborne for a spike against Riverview.
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Stingray’s seniors Karol Santos and Georgia Parson dive on the floor to dig a spiked ball.
Francis Fedor Photos
Sumner girls varsity members Jenaimary De Jesus and Georgia Parson pose before the game against the Sharks.
The Stingrays are led by seniors, and team captains, Kennedy Reed and Georgia Parson, who dominate the main volleyball stats. K. Reed leads the team in kills-per-set, hitting percentage, and total blocks. G. Parson leads the team in digs-per-set, serving aces, and aces-per-set. The team is coached by Courtney Bobo-McKenzie. The squad already has improved on its 2021 season’s 11-9 record. The Stingray’s girl’s varsity is also looking to improve on its playoff performance of 2021, where it lost in its second game after beating its East Bay rival. It looks like the 2022 edition of the girl’s varsity team is keeping up the tradition of athletic excellence being set by many of the Sumner athletic teams. Good luck to the team as it moves towards the playoffs!
