Box Score
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Eckerd College volleyball program handled Lynn University in neutral territory at Saint Andrew's School for another Sunshine State Conference sweep on Saturday afternoon, 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-22).
The Tritons (11-6, 5-1 SSC) seized control of sole possession of second place in the conference standings after Florida Southern College was defeated by Florida Tech in five sets this afternoon.
Eckerd stormed through Nova Southeastern University the night prior for a straight-set sweep in Fort Lauderdale.
After giving a minor scare to No. 5 University of Tampa on Friday by taking a set from the Spartans, the Fighting Knights (10-6, 2-4 SSC) came up short despite leading early in every set against Eckerd.
EC junior outside hitter
Lindsay Biggs and Lynn's Shannon Dugan each led their team in kills with 14, respectively.
The Tritons trailed 10-5 in the first set, 9-7 in the second set and 6-4 in the final frame to the Fighting Knights, as momentum was restored to Eckerd following some impressive rallies.
Eckerd erased the first-set deficit with a 7-0 run capped by a service ace from junior libero
Kaleigh Humphrey. After LU came back to take a 17-16 lead, the Tritons stood tall and a combo block from senior
Olivia Fraser and sophomore
Ali McAlvany helped the squad finish strong for the early edge.
McAlvany tallied 12 kills and Fraser contributed five kills with three assisted blocks in the match. Humphrey and Biggs finished with dig totals of 10 and 15.
Three consecutive kills from Biggs midway through the second set keyed a 6-1 run before the frontline dominated to help the Tritons pull away and set up the sweep with a two-set lead.
It was McAlvany's turn to string three consecutive kills together in the third set, this time in the midst of a 7-2 run that turned the tide and put Lynn on its heels.
The Fighting Knights closed the gap to two points in an effort the stave off elimination, but EC closed the door as Fraser accounted for three straight EC points in the late stages.
Eckerd managed to outhit Lynn, .296 to .204, in match that by all accounts, was pretty even stat-wise in the final box score.
The Tritons also outblocked the Fighting Knights, 7-4, while Lynn had 49 digs to EC's 46.
The next pending matchup looms large as the Tritons will host fifth-ranked Tampa next Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the McArthur Center. In last year's home matchup, EC handed then the top-ranked Spartans, their first defeat of the season.
It also marked Eckerd's first-ever victory over Tampa in the school's series history. UT remains unbeaten in SSC play at 6-0 after a win against Nova Southeastern today.
