Box Score
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Eckerd College volleyball program passed its first test in the Sunshine State Conference gauntlet with flying colors on Wednesday night, sweeping Florida Tech in straight sets to extend its current win streak.
Sophomore Lindsay Biggs hammered home 13 kills, senior Ariana Chinn produced 12 and junior Alex Laton keyed early momentum with a pivotal performance in the first set.
It took the Tritons (7-1, 1-0 SSC) just an hour and 12 minutes to leave the court against the Panthers (3-6, 0-1 SSC) by scores of 25-17, 25-18 and 25-13, with their seventh consecutive victory dating back to Sept. 2.
“I felt like our serving and hitting in this game was done exceptionally well,” EC Head Coach Courtney Draper said afterwards. “Our setters did a nice job of spreading out our offensive opportunities so all of our attackers could take favorable angles to swing at the ball.”
The Tritons faced little resistance in the early going thanks to the heavy hitting up front by the EC Classic All-Tournament Team honoree Laton, who recorded five kills, a service ace and a solo block in the first set alone.
Laton helped the Tritons' offense operate to the tune of a .533 percentage in the opening frame. She also accounted for four (two solo, two assisted) of Eckerd's six total blocks on the evening.
The Tritons methodically pulled away from the Panthers in the second set, building up a nine-point advantage after a kill from Biggs made it 22-13. Florida Tech would score the next four points unanswered, but the Tritons came away with the final point after a timeout.
Eckerd never trailed in the third and final set, but had to pull away from nine ties as Florida Tech tried to stave off elimination.
Chinn used a combination of powerful left-handed spikes and deceiving tips near the line to hit .500 on the night. She had four kills in a five-point spread that gave Eckerd a 17-14 edge in the third set.
Sophomore setter Madison Burr made the home crowd happy by serving up Eckerd's seventh service ace of the match (and her third), a feat that results in a free pizza coupon for all fans in attendance presented by the local Domino's location.
Burr finished with 19 assists while senior Bri Smith recorded a team-high 20. Senior libero Hallie Ward had 19 digs.
Kaitlin Brennan led Florida Tech with 10 kills while Alexis Mastela led all players with 30 assists.
The Tritons continue their extended homestand with a non-conference match in the McArthur Center on Friday against the University of West Florida. Saturday features another SSC battle between the Tritons and Nova Southeastern University at 4 p.m.
Immediately following the Eckerd/Nova Southeastern matchup, the Tritons are hosting a free volleyball youth clinic afterwards for all athletes in elementary school or middle school. Participants are encouraged to ask for Eckerd student-athlete autographs and work with the Tritons to improve their volleyball skills.
