Volleyball Season Opens For BCC Titans

By  //  August 23, 2012

First Game On Friday

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – The Brevard Community College volleyball team opens its 2012 season with four matches over two days this weekend in the Florida State College Kick-off Tournament in Jacksonville.

Sophomore middle hitter Alicia Vaccarelli is expected to be one of the key players for Brevard Community College's volleyball team this season. (Image by Christey Krause)

BCC plays at 1 and 7 p.m. Friday and at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday. It plays Lincoln Land College of Springfield, Ill., at 1 p.m. Friday, then host FSCJ at 7 p.m.. BCC plays Spartanburg (S.C.) Methodist at 10 a.m. Saturday. BCC’s final opponent will be determined by the outcome of its and the other games.

Other teams in the tournament are Pensacola State College, Indian River State College of Fort Pierce, St. Johns River State College of Palatka and Wake Tech College of Raleigh, N.C.

BCC head coach Herb Tokumoto sees the tournament as a good opening test after four weeks of practice that began Aug. 1.

“We will be trying a few different offensive lineups, to have our setters mesh with different hitters,” Tokumoto said. “We will be testing different defensive systems, blocking schemes, and personnel.

“This is the first time we will be in this tournament. Coach Mary Andrews usually puts together a competitive grouping of colleges. I expect this to be an experience for the team which should challenge them and show them what will be in store for them throughout our season.”

That being said, Tokumoto believes his players will make an impact.

“What I believe is that our team will surprise some of the teams there, and we will have a strong showing,” he said. “This will be a tournament of discovery, we will discover our team resolve, commitment to our program and to each other.”

Herb Tokumoto is the Brevard Community College volleyball coach. (Image by Christey Krause)

BCC, which finished 19-20 in 2011 for its best showing in the last five seasons, has just four sophomores – middle hitter Jamie Darragh, setter and defensive specialist Kayla Sullivan, middle hitter Alicia Vaccarelli and defensive specialist and libero Beth Williams – on its 14-player roster. However, BCC brings height to the court with three players at 6 feet and above which could play in its favor.

After the Jacksonville tournament – and due to the installation of a new, long-awaited wood floor in its home gymnasium on the Melbourne Campus – BCC hits the road for six matches before hosting quad matches on Sept. 14 at the Titusville Campus gym.

Two more matches at Titusville follow on Sept. 25 and Sept. 27 against Florida College System Activities Association Southern Conference foes Palm Beach State and Broward College respectively before the first home match on the new floor Oct. 9 against conference opponent Miami-Dade.

“Six road games will be a true test for our student-athletes,” Tokumoto said. “They will have to work on their time management. It will not only include study time, meals, snacks (what to eat), also traveling together and the close quarters.

“They will problem solve and depend on one another. We as coaches hope that the adversity will bring them together as a team.”