The 2023 Moore Haven volleyball program. [Photo courtesy Moore Haven Athletics]

MOORE HAVEN- The Moore Haven Lady Terriers varsity volleyball team started their season off with back-to-back wins this month.

The  Lady Terriers defeated Immokalee 3-0 in the season opener on Aug. 22, and beat Gateway Charter 3-2 in a thriller on Aug. 24.

Moore Haven won the first set against Gateway 25-21. But in the second and third sets, Gateway came back to beat Moore Haven 25-18 and 25-17. Down 2-1, the Lady Terriers responded 25-17 in the fourth set to tie the game 2-2 and force a fifth set.

In the fifth set, Moore Haven secured the  win 15-12 to make their record 2-0.

The Lady Terriers’ game against Gateway is a good example of how they’ve improved from last year. Last season Gateway Charter defeated Moore Haven 3-1. That game started similar to this season, with Moore Haven winning the first set. But Gateway went on to win the next three sets and send the Lady Terriers away with a loss. That script was flipped this year.

The Lady Terriers are coming off a 8-7 record in the regular season last year. They qualified for the district quarterfinals but were defeated by Neumann 3-0. That same Neumann team advanced all the way to the championship round.

On the varsity squad this year are Akeelah Ling, Preslynn Baker, Miley Jimmie, Layla Davis, Summer Gopher, Josaleen Pineda, Elissa Herrera, Adore Thomas, Marley Jimmie, and Ayana Fonseca.

The Lady Terriers were scheduled to face Okeechobee on Aug. 29, but uncertainty around Hurricane Idalia caused both teams to cancel the game out of an abundance of caution. Moore Haven will next be on the road to take on Babcock on Sept. 5 and Berean Christian on Sept. 7.