Box Score CARROLLTON, Ga. - The Eckerd Triton volleyball team made it a perfect weekend at the South Region Crossover on Saturday as they knocked off the University of Alabama in Huntsville in straight sets to finish the event with a 3-0 record.
The Tritons made quick work of the Chargers with set wins of 25-18, 25-13 and 25-22 behind strong play across the board.
After taking a 2-1 lead in the first set, Eckerd (11-7) led the rest of the way, going ahead by as many as eight points. UAH managed to get back within four at 21-17, but the Tritons took four of the final five points of the set behind kills from
Rachel Cornatzer,
JaQuayla Baker and
Tjasa Kotnik to take the lead.
Eckerd jumped out to a 7-2 lead in set two and later created more separation with a run of seven straight points to go up 21-9 on its way to a comfortable set victory.
The Tritons again took an early lead in the third set, but the Chargers fought back with 10 straight points to take a 13-7 lead. Unshaken, Eckerd quickly erased the deficit with two runs of four consecutive points and retook the lead at 17-16 on an ace by
Gabriella Reis. The Tritons led the rest of the way and completed the sweep after a Charger attack error gave EC match point.
UAH entered the day among the national leaders in aces, but the Triton serve-receive was fantastic all day as it allowed the Chargers to serve no aces. Eckerd, meanwhile, had eight. Kotnik had 12 kills to pace a balanced attack while Baker had 11.Â
Lauryn Nelson and
Mackenzie Redner had six and five kills respectively.
"Our coaching staff is very proud of the amount of grit our team played with this weekend," said Eckerd head coach
Michelle Piantadosi. "We started out slow in our first match against Lee and came back to win big in the fifth set. In our second match, we were down two sets and found ways to make adjustments in order to take the win."
"The team has prepared with great purpose for this weekend, so we are all very proud to see our tireless work validated."
Piantadosi was also pleased with the contributions the team received off the bench over the weekend.
"Each time I called on someone to get on the court, they made an immediate impact," she said. "I'm especially proud of
Gabriella Reis for taking on a different role as a defensive specialist and coming up huge for us defensively and from the service line."
Baker was named to the all-tournament team after an outstanding performance. She had a career-high 27 kills in Friday's win over Valdosta State (Ga.).
The Tritons return to Florida for a three-match road trip next week, beginning with a visit to Saint Leo on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.
