In the past week of play, the Eckerd College Volleyball team (9-7, 3-4 SSC) has had its highs and lows with their performance on the court. The team experienced the feeling of a triumphant victory against No. 17 Florida Southern but unfortunately had to go through a devastating loss against #9 Tampa on Tuesday.
The Tritons know the feeling of a come-from-behind victory all too well, as earlier in the season against Palm Beach Atlantic the team had to rally together to come out on top for a straight sets victory. The Florida Southern match was a bit more intense, however, as the Tritons were down two sets going into the break before the third set, which would eventually be the turning point for the game.
“I [told the players] this is not just another game," Coach Courtney Draper said. "It's a conference opponent, it's a region opponent, and it's a top 25 opponent; you cant take this lightly...[the players had] to realize there can be another three sets to go.”
With that, the Tritons came back on the court ready to perform to their full potential and represent what Eckerd College Volleyball is all about. They were able to win the last three sets due in part to great individual and team performances.
Ariana Chinn, a lefty, which allows for a unique angle on the ball, had an outstanding game with a match-high of 21 kills and a .419 attack percentage and it was Chinn, in the fifth and final set that sealed the deal for the Tritons victory.
“She had a really nice shot variety [against Florida Southern]...she would hit a hard line, cover-cross, she would hit a tip once in a while, and hit a roll shot down the line.”
Along with tougher serves in the last three sets, another aspect Coach Draper believes helped the team was the abilities of the setters,
Megan Golovkin and
Bri Smith, who each had 27 assists, to spread out the offense. Draper thinks this “shows a lot of balance from our team that both our setters had the same amount of assists.”
Unfortunately, the Tritons could not keep up the outstanding performance they showcased against Florida Southern as they traveled to take on Tampa. It is known that playing a team away can be a challenge; however, there were other factors that lead the team to lose. Starting off the game in a 10-5 hole due to attacking errors is a tough place to be especially when playing a large blocking team like Tampa. Coach Draper felt as though Tampa was very prepared and knew exactly what plays the Tritons were gong to run.
She stated, “[Tampa] was just on and we were clearly off.”
The team is looking forward to hosting Tampa in a few weeks so they can prove they are a better team then the performance they gave on Tuesday night.
This Saturday, October 10th, the Tritons will travel to Miami Shores to play Barry. For the team, which currently is 3-4 in the Sunshine State Conference, this game is very important. Coach Draper deemed it a "must win” in order to be 4-4 so the team can hit the .500 mark within the conference.
“It is hard to win on the road but [Barry] is a winnable one.”
Coach Draper joked when asked what needs to happen in order for the team to stay in the Top 25, saying, “a win on Saturday.” But a team that is currently ranked #22 can use the possibility of slipping in the rankings as motivation when playing Barry. Another component the team needs to focus on is their ability to be consistent. Consistency is going to play a key role in being able to beat Barry and other teams to follow.
If the team is able to stay mentally tough for the rest of the season staying in the Top 25 should not be an issue.
“[The team] has a goal in mind and they will achieve it. There is a lot of determination.”
Hopefully, the Tritons will once again prove, by beating Barry, why they are the first volleyball team at Eckerd College to ever break into the Top 25.
