Box Score
LAKELAND, Fla. –
Olivia Fraser had a team-high 11 blocks to lead a stout defensive charge and the Eckerd College volleyball program rallied to stun Florida Southern College in the Jenkins Field House on Friday night, 3-2 (25-23, 23-25, 20-25, 25-22, 15-11).
The Tritons (13-3, 5-2 SSC) put up some gaudy numbers on both ends of the court, an accomplishment that should catch the eye from more voters in the AVCA Top-25 Coaches Poll when the latest rankings are released next week.
Eckerd tied its previous season-high block total with 15 total (15 vs. Colorado Christian College) to win its fourth straight and saved its best for last against the Mocs (9-6, 4-3 SSC) by hitting .421 in the fifth and final set.
Complementing the defensive work was four players with double-digit dig totals, including a team-best 24 from
Hallie Ward.
Lindsay Biggs (12 kills, 20 digs) and
Bri Smith (38 assists, 14 digs) had double-doubles.
Biggs and
Ariana Chinn nailed down 12 kills each while
Alex Laton added 11 and four assisted blocks on the side. Chinn also was credited with eight assisted blocks while Fraser had the lone solo block.
“I'm really proud of the way we stepped it up when we needed it most,” EC Head Coach Courtney Draper said. “Florida Southern (College) is a great team and they put a lot of pressure on us. We had to make some personnel adjustments in our lineup.”
Eckerd added another memorable storyline in the competitive series history by erasing the 2-1 deficit. Since 2007, the Tritons have upset FSC when the Mocs were ranked sixth in the nation and additionally faced No. 8, 9 and 11, ranked squads.
The Tritons also added some comfortable distance for second place in the Sunshine State Conference standings after coming in tonight with a half-game lead over Florida Southern.
Both teams had their moments on the offensive end, but any kind of separation or sustained momentum was difficult to come by thanks for stellar defensive efforts, respectively.
Eckerd took the thunder out of the home crowd with a quick start and six-point advantage to eventually win the first set. But the Mocs pulled away in the second set and had the crowd back on their side with a convincing third set win.
But by midway through the second set, the Tritons already had reached the 10-block plateau, and Eckerd quickly snapped a 6-6 tie in the fourth set on its way to force the all-important fifth frame.
Coming into Friday's match, the Tritons carried a 3-1 record in five-set affairs and made it a fourth win in sudden death. Kills from Biggs and Laton forced Florida Southern's hand into early timeouts and EC rattled off a 3-0 run for an insurmountable 9-5 edge.
The Tritons will next merge back into tournament play at the University of West Florida Regional Crossover in Pensacola, Fla. Eckerd is slated to play three schools on Oct. 14-15.
