Box Score
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Fresh off a week-long hiatus, the Eckerd College volleyball team stormed its McArthur Center home court to take care of Barry University in straight sets on Friday by scores of 25-20, 25-23 and 25-22.
Junior
Alex Laton continued her recent torrid hitting pace in the middle, slamming down a team-best 10 kills on just 18 swings (.444 hitting percentage). Her combined hitting percentage in the last three games versus Rollins College, No. 2 University of Tampa and Barry, is a scintillating .451 clip with a total of 39 kills.
Lindsay Biggs and
Ali McAlvany each tallied nine kills apiece while each additional EC frontline role player (Chinn, Fraser, Strazdina) was a catalyst for a balanced offense with at least five kills on the night.
Eckerd solidified its standing in the top half of the Sunshine State Conference race by moving into a four-way tie for second in the league standings.
The Tritons (10-3, 3-2 SSC) had a chance to see the Buccaneers (7-4, 1-4 SSC) earlier this year at the Eckerd College Classic, but the respective squads did not square off. Despite having a chance to scout each other in person, Eckerd Head Coach Courtney Draper saw the Buccaneers pull a few more tricks out of their hat.
“They threw a few things at us tonight that we had to adjust to and I'm proud of our girls for making changes on the fly,” she said. “They also ran different formations and had (Tania) Torres on the right side instead of the middle.”
The Buccaneers' heavy hitter Torres was able to get her numbers (13 kills), but the Tritons' defense made her work for them. One of eight all-tournament picks in the Eckerd Classic, she hit into seven unforced errors that translated to a tempered .16 2 attack percentage.
The Tritons led wire-to-wire in an inspired first set, jumping out to a 20-9 lead following a Barry service error. Just when Barry started to pull some momentum together, Laton ended the first game with a solo block on none other than Torres.
Separation was more difficult to come by in the second frame, but Eckerd snapped a 14-14 tie with a 3-0 run. Barry countered with a 3-0 run of their own, but defense again prevailed late as Biggs and McAlvany combined to stuff Mariana Lisboa at the net for the winning point.
With Barry working to stave off elimination, Eckerd against showed its mettle by staying ahead by several one-point margins. A Torres kill tied it at 22-22, but the Tritons would claim three consecutive points to close it out.
Bri Smith and
Madison Burr combined for 39 of the team's 43 assists and Biggs added 13 digs to complement 11 by
Hallie Ward.
The Tritons will be back on their home court again tomorrow, hosting Lynn University for a 4 p.m. start time. Immediately following the match, Eckerd will be hosting a free youth clinic where participants will get a chance to work up-close and personal with Tritons players.
