SARASOTA
The scoreboard said one thing. But Brian Wheatley’s eyes told him another.
Wheatley’s Venice High Indians continued their scorching start to the volleyball season, sweeping Sarasota 25-11, 25-15, 25-15 to run their record to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in Class 8A-District 11.
Sena Szczepaniuk of Venice tries to hit the ball past the Sarasota triple block of Christine Gruttadauria (13), Emily Sauceda (9) and Rachel Meringer (3) in a district volleyball game Tuesday, Aug. 30 at the Sailors gym. Herald-Tribune staff photo / Dennis Maffezzoli
Though pleased with the result, Wheatley was not overjoyed with what he saw on the court.
“I feel like a very bad coach because we’re not doing what we’re supposed to be doing on the floor. Of all the matches we’ve played this year, that was by far our worst performance,” Wheatley said of a Venice team that recorded sweeps over two returning final four teams last week — Fort Myers and Ocala Forest.
“In our mind, we’re going to treat that as a loss. Our kids are better than that.
“Yeah, we’ve had a good year up to date. But we need to come into a visiting team’s gym and do a better job of being mentally ready to play.”
Wheatley praised the serving of sophomore Paige Canevari. Armed with a late-biting serve that accounted for five aces, Canevari fueled a 10-point rally in the first set that extended Venice’s lead to 20-6. She tallied three more service points late in the second set that gave Venice a 17-10 lead during a set where Sarasota was once up 7-6.
“If it wasn’t for Paige Canevari going back and serving the snot out of the ball,” Wheatley said, “it’s a much closer game.”
Canevari also added 16 assists.
“I just try to serve as tough as I can to get the other team out of system,” Canvari said, “and get our team to where we’re in a better position to play. I just feel like serving tough is one of the main points of the game.”
Tanner Gauthier had nine kills and Sena Szczepaniuk added six for Venice, which stumbled out of the gate last season before embarking on a stirring run to the Class 7A state semifinals.
“It’s early in the season. The season’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” Wheatley said. “We want to be ready for November.”
The Indians head to Cardinal Mooney on Thursday.
Hannah Hritz had five kills for Sarasota, which plays host to Lemon Bay on Thursday.
