Box Score
MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – The 22nd-ranked Eckerd College volleyball program excelled in its final test before the postseason gets underway, taking down Barry University to close the regular season on Saturday afternoon, 3-1 (25-23, 25-16, 18-25, 25-23).
Alex Laton ripped 14 kills,
Lindsay Biggs added 11 and the EC defense again stifled an opponent with nine blocks to the tune of a limited .177 attacking percentage.
The Tritons closed the regular season with a 25-4 overall record and finished 13-3 in Sunshine State Conference play.
With a current ranking of second in the South Region, Eckerd will figure to draw the No. 7 seed when the NCAA Tournament bracket is unveiled tomorrow evening at 10 p.m. A link to the Selection Sunday show can be viewed at NCAA.com, and the Tritons will be hosting a team gathering in the McArthur Center as the 64 teams are revealed.
Mirroring Friday night's four-set victory at Lynn University in Boca Raton, the Tritons grabbed a quick two-set lead against the Bucs (11-17, 3-13 SSC) before ceding the third frame and closing the deal with a strong performance in the fourth set.
Eckerd held a five-point advantage after opening the first set with a 13-8 run. Barry came back to tie, but the Tritons assembled a 5-1 run to claim the early lead, including four kills by Laton down the stretch.
A pair of kills and a block by Laton was instrumental as the Tritons raced out to a 6-1 lead to start the second game. Eckerd extended its lead comfortably to 19-10 after a kill from Biggs.
The third set also started in EC's favor, but the Bucs put together a momentum-swinging 6-1 run to prolong the match.
Senior setter
Bri Smith was on fire as the Tritons jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the fourth frame. She served up three consecutive service aces, but Barry would storm back and take the lead with a 9-0 run that made the score 12-8 in favor of the Bucs.
Trailing by four, the Tritons countered back with a 7-0 run of their own to reclaim the lead, 18-16. Biggs snapped a 22-22 tie and put EC up 24-22 with a kill. She also recorded the match's final point off a pass from
Madison Burr.
Smith finished with 23 assists while Laton and
Ali McAlvany each blocked four attempts.
Ariana Chinn had nine kills on 19 swings and
Hallie Ward had 11 digs.
