Defending state champs set to open volleyball season head to head Tuesday

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -Talk about a great way to start the regular season for the sport of high school volleyball in our area!

The Sneads Pirates are coming south to Lynn Haven tomorrow night to take on the Mosley Dolphins in the regular season opening match for both. That means it will be the 9-time defending 1A champs, which the Pirates are, against the defending 5A champs, which the Dolphins are. Most all agree it will be a first in this area, two defending state champs going head to head. These two have played in each of the last three seasons, with the ‘fins winning each time.

“So opening up our season with them, with a state champ playing a state champ, it’s really exciting.” says Sneads head coach Heather Edge. “Coach (Michelle) Mask and I have a good relationship, so no matter the outcome of the game everybody leaves the gym with all smiles. You know we never like to lose. And we don’t go into Mosley’s gym expecting to lose. We go in there expecting to compete. However we usually play some of our best volleyball against them. So that’s why we always walk out with a smile on our face, because it’s just really scrappy good volleyball.”

“You know I started talking to Heather, and kind of came up with this idea that you know what away to start off the season.” adds coach Mask. “We just thought it would be great for the kids, great for the community, to lead off the first game of the season, two state champions going after each other. We’ve never lost to Sneads. Sneads is the nine time defending state champion and we’ve played them for years. And we’ve never lost to them. Again they’re a much smaller classification. So she really, I think part of their success is that she plays bigger teams and goes after that bigger competition. And so she was all in, if it meant coming to Mosley and playing, she was coming.”

That match set to begin at 6 o’clock, we’ll have highlights Tuesday in our late news.

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