Box Score
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Behind torrid hitting from senior
Olivia Fraser and sophomore
Ali McAlvany, the Eckerd College volleyball program gradually wore down Rollins College to extend its current win streak to six straight on Saturday afternoon, 3-1 (25-17, 25-22, 16-25, 25-17).
Fraser wreaked havoc against the opposing defense with 10 kills on a .389 hitting percentage while McAlvany's heavy swing registered 14 kills at a .500 attacking clip.
Junior outside
Lindsay Biggs, inducted as the newest member of the program's 1,000-kill club prior to the start of today's match, led all players with 16 kills.
Both teams wore pink on the court as a tribute to Dig Pink Day, recognizing breast cancer awareness. Proceeds from admission and concession will be donated to the Susan G. Komen foundation for additional research.
The Tritons (17-7, 8-2 SSC) showed little signs of fatigue against the Tars (14-12, 5-5 SSC) after arriving back from Melbourne late last night in Friday's five-set victory at Florida Tech.
EC completed the regular-season sweep against the Tars and maintained a comfortable foothold of second place in the Sunshine State Conference standings. The Tritons won their fourth straight contest against Rollins in the respective series history.
This time, Rollins was at full strength thanks to the return of standout outside hitter Megan Hodges (hand), who was injured and out of the lineup in the first regular season meeting in Winter Park (Sept. 22).
EC flexed its defensive muscle on the front line, frustrating Rollins middle Camille Indest into 10 attacking errors. Even though Indest led the Tars with eight blocks, Rollins managed to hit just .175 as a team.
Junior
Kaleigh Humphrey led all players with 22 digs while setters
Madison Burr and
Emily Schadow operated the offense to the tune of 20 assists each.
Led by Burr on the serving end, the Tritons overcame a 12-10 deficit in the first set with an 8-0 run, ignited by a trio of unforced Rollins hitting miscues.
After RC narrowed the gap to two points, Eckerd grabbed the one-set advantage by finishing the opening frame with a 7-1 streak.
The Tars put the Tritons in an early hole in the second set, but an 8-1 run was keyed with back-to-back front row blocks on Indest by McAlvany and sophomore
Katarina Milojevic to restore EC momentum.
Milojevic finished with seven blocks, two solo, as the Tritons recorded 12 as a team.
Rollins prevented the sweep with a third-set victory, but the Tritons gained separation with three straight blocks in the fourth set to clinch the match.
The Tritons will get a chance to avenge a loss in Lakeland earlier this season against Florida Southern College next Friday, hosting the Mocs for a 7 p.m. contest in the McArthur Center.
