PENSACOLA, Fla. - The Eckerd volleyball team (1-3) earned its first victory of 2009 on Saturday as it rallied in a fifth and final set to defeat the Flagler Saints (0-3) (25-14, 24-26, 25-15, 24-26, 15-11). In the second match, Eckerd fell to #15 West Florida, 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-23), despite a brilliant effort from a pair of new recruits on day two of West Florida's Comfort Inn-Vitational.
The first set against the Saints was all Eckerd as the Tritons built up a 21-9 lead after a fearsome attack that feature four kills by
Alex Laton and three kills by Regi Silva. Flagler would go on to score five of the seven points to make it 23-14 but
Lydee Benoit registered consecutive kills to put away the Saints in the first set.
The Tritons did not make things easy on themselves, allowing Flagler to jump out to an early 8-1 lead. After a kill by Rachel Stacy made it 15-6, the Tritons would go on a 10-2 run, capped by three straight kills earned by
Taylor Whaley, Laton and Benoit, to trim the Saints' lead to 17-16. Later in the set, kills by Benoit and
Ariana Chinn gave the Tritons a 24-22 lead. Unfortunately, two attack errors and a Flagler service ace helped the Saints overcome the Eckerd comeback and earn a 26-24 second set victory.
The teams remained deadlocked at 7-7 in the third set until the Tritons exploded for a 11-4 run, which included two kills each by
Taylor Manning and Chinn, giving Eckerd an 18-11 lead. Down the stretch, Eckerd was the beneficiary of five combined errors by the Saints and put the set away on a kill by Chinn.
The fourth set was a microcosm as both teams stayed within two points of each other for the entire set. The Tritons held a 24-22 lead before Katie Beale tied the set on back-to-back kills. A service ace gave Flagler a 25-24 lead before an Eckerd attack error sealed the fourth set win for the Saints.
In the fifth and final set, the Saints jumped out to a 5-0 lead, thanks to three straight service aces by Cat Houston. Eckerd closed the gap to 7-5 thanks, in part, to two kills by Benoit. Flagler built up another five-point lead, leading 11-6 but the Tritons came storming back with five straight points, taking nine of the set's final 10 points. Chinn and Silva led the charge for the Tritons in the set as they accounted for seven of those final nine points.
For the match, Chinn led the Tritons with 13 kills and a blistering .522 attack percentage while Benoit registered 12 kills and 13 digs. Silva also racked up eight kills while hitting .300. The Tritons also got great production from their middles as Manning and Laton both notched nine kills with Manning hitting .412. Beale led the Saints with 17 kills. Overall Eckerd attacked at a .303 clip while holding Flagler to just .108 percent.
Flagler Box Score
Against West Florida, the Tritons carried the momentum of their thrilling victory into the first set, overcoming a 20-16 deficit to notch a 25-23 victory thanks to a 9-3 run that included a set-clinching kill by Silva.
The second set was all West Florida as three straight kills by Patricia Gandolfo helped the Argos climb out to a 6-2 lead before going on a 15-6 run en route to a convincing 25-18 win.
Set number three was a see-saw affair until the teams were tied at 20-20. West Florida would go on to win the next five points, due in large part to five Eckerd errors.
In the fourth set, Eckerd held an 18-12 lead after a kill by Chinn but West Florida would reel off five straight points, capped by a kill by Jamie Nichols to trim the Tritons' lead to 18-17. After a kill by West Florida's Jesse Keroack tied the set at 22-22, the Argos would go on to registered three of the final four points of the match, courtesy of three kills by Chelsea Wilhoite.
Whaley led all Tritons with 14 kills while Manning amassed nine kills to go along with five total blocks.
Bri Smith picked up Eckerd's lone double-double with 17 set assists and 11 digs while
Megan Golovkin led Eckerd with 27 assists. UWF's Kimberly Clark shined in the match, leading all players with 16 kills and a .516 attack percentage to go along with 13 digs.
Eckerd will return to the hardwood on Saturday, September 5 as it travels to Lakeland, Fla. to take on Bemidji State and Minnesota-Duluth in the Florida Southern Tournament, beginning at 2pm.
West Florida Box Score
