ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – For the second time this season, the Eckerd College volleyball program overcame a threatening effort from Barry University to prevail in a five-set final, this time at the McArthur Center on Friday night, 3-2 (24-26, 25-9, 20-25, 25-20, 15-10).
The Tritons (18-9, 9-5 SSC), ranked third in the NCAA South Region rankings, are now winners in nine of their last 10 matches as the regular season winds down to a close.
The Buccaneers (11-15, 4-10 SSC) gave Eckerd all it could handle in a five-set affair in Miami Shores back on Oct. 26, but the Tritons earned the victory on the road to end the first half of the Sunshine State Conference schedule.
In the first set, Eckerd led 19-14 before the Buccaneers went on an 8-0 run to take a 22-19 lead. Although the Tritons were able to tie the game at 24-24, a kill from senior Ashley Carrero and an Eckerd attacking error gave Barry the first-set win.
In the second set, Eckerd led 12-7 before going on 6-0 run to take a commanding 18-7 lead. Another 6-0 run would put the Tritons ahead 24-8, and a kill from junior
Ali McAlvany secured the set and tied the match, 1-1.
After taking a 6-5 lead in the third set, a kill from Carrero and an Eckerd attacking error put them behind 7-6, and the Tritons would trail the remainder of the set before falling.
The Tritons rebounded in the fourth set, siding out on Barry's first serve and taking seven straight points on senior
Lindsay Biggs' serve to take an 8-0 lead. The Buccaneers took four straight points later to pull within five, 15-10, but it would not be enough to douse out the Tritons' momentum.
In the decisive fifth set, Eckerd trailed 7-6, but a 5-0 run thanks to two Barry attacking errors, a service ace from junior
Katarina Milojevic and two McAlvany kills put the Tritons ahead, 11-7, and forced a Barry timeout.
The Buccaneers were able to sideout after the timeout, but could not generate enough momentum to push past a determined Eckerd team. At set point, Biggs threw down a powerful kill to seal the match and set the stage for Senior Day.
Senior
Madison Burr fell one dig short of a double-double, posting a season-high 41 assists as well as nine digs and a crowd-pleasing solo block.
Biggs (17 kills, 12 digs) and McAlvany (15 kills, 16 digs) each posted double-doubles and led the team in attacking percentage. Biggs hit .273, and McAlvany hit .293 in the match.
Milojevic led the Tritons in blocking with nine block assists and one solo block while junior
Tjasa Kotnik added six block assists and 12 kills.
Junior
Grace Jones matched her season-high four solo blocks for the second match in a row and added seven kills.
The Tritons will play their last home game of the regular season tomorrow at 4 p.m. EST against Florida Tech on Senior Day. Eckerd will honor its five seniors: Burr, Biggs,
Kaleigh Humphrey,
Maija Strazdina and
Ana de Olano, in a ceremony before the match slated to begin at 3:50 p.m.
