MOORE HAVEN — Despite not being able to play volleyball at their school, Preslynn Baker and Yani Smith still managed to gain valuable experience on the court this fall.

The pandemic forced Pemayetv Emahakv Charter School, which has been conducting classes virtually this fall, to cancel its volleyball season. Baker and Smith took their volleyball talents to Moore Haven High School, where they were able to play a short season in the Terriers program.

Moore Haven’s varsity team, which is led by head coach Shawn Crosky and assistant coach Mona Baker, enjoyed a solid season with a 3-2 record. The season, which was halted for a few weeks in September due to a Covid outbreak at the school, concluded in October.

Facing older competition – Baker is an eighth-grader who made varsity and Smith is a seventh-grader who played JV – should benefit the players in the years to come.

“They picked up well. They adjusted really well,” said assistant coach Baker, who is also the mother of Preslynn. “If you want to be better, you’ve got to play better [teams].”

Baker and Smith weren’t the only Seminoles in the volleyball program. They joined freshman Summer Gopher and senior Mariah Billie, who was honored in a senior night ceremony at the team’s final match.

Meanwhile, a few other PECS students were also part of Moore Haven’s middle school team that was coached by Dallas Nunez. The team lost only one match.