VOLLEYBALL GAMEDAY: Eckerd hosts Barry on Friday, No. 14 Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd College volleyball team prepares for a tough three-match stretch at home, kicking things off this weekend by hosting Barry on Friday at 7:00 PM followed by No. 14 Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday at 4:00 PM.

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SETTING THE STAGE
The Tritons (12-9, 3-6) dropped both of their SSC contests last week and need to pick up wins at home to avoid falling farther behind in the conference standings and region rankings.  The road won't be easy, as Barry (11-7, 6-3) enters Friday's match as winners of three in a row including a 3-1 win over then-No. 15 Florida Southern.  On Saturday, EC welcomes 14th-ranked Palm Beach Atlantic (19-3).  The Sailfish haven't lost since October 3 in a road match against then-No. 2 Tampa.

LAST TIME THEY MET
The Tritons hung tight in each set but fell to the then-No. 16 Sailfish in Palm Beach, 3-0, on September 25.  PBA won the first and third sets, 25-23, and the second set, 25-22.  Katie Arnette led the Eckerd attack with nine kills.

On the following night, Eckerd took the Bucs to five sets on their home floor but a run of six straight Barry points allowed the hosts to pull away in the fifth set for a 3-2 win.  The Tritons got 18 kills from Tjasa Kotnik and 13 from JaQuayla Baker in the loss.

INSIDE THE SERIES
vs. Palm Beach Atlantic: The Tritons lead the all-time series over PBA, 21-15, although the Sailfish have won the last four meetings including three straight 3-0 sweeps.

vs. Barry: Barry leads the all-time series, 44-11.  The Tritons had won five of the last six meetings before the Bucs took both contests last season as well as the first meeting this year.

ABOUT THE BUCS
- Barry currently sits in second place in the conference standings at 6-3, two games behind Tampa.  However, it hasn't been enough to get the Bucs any votes in the national rankings.
- Kaitlin Drake and Eva Raat are the team's go-to attackers, averaging 3.15 and 3.00 kills respectively.  The duo combined for 33 kills in the first meeting with Eckerd earlier this season.
- Despite their success, Barry ranks eighth in conference in hitting percentage (.188).  They are, however, an outstanding defensive team on the back row led by Brittany Jaco who averages 5.75 digs per set to lead the SSC.  Kat Espinosa (.2.77) and Jasmine Serna (2.70) also make it difficult for opposing hitters to find gaps in the Buc defense.

ABOUT THE SAILFISH
- PBA enters the weekend on a nine-match winning streak that includes wins over two top-25 teams (No. 15 Florida Southern, No. 18 West Florida).  The Sailfish visit Saint Leo on Friday before coming to the McArthur Center on Saturday.
- Ally Rohn has made a huge impact as a freshman.  The setter/right-side hitter currently leads NCAA Division II with six triple-doubles.  Rohn is a true triple-threat player averaging 2.45 kills, 5.73 assists and 3.05 digs per set.  Her sister, Faith, is another key piece of the team's success averaging 3.53 kills and 2.84 digs per set.
- The Sailfish boast one of the top defensive teams at the net in the nation, entering the weekend ranking sixth in Division II in blocks per set (2.72).  Sarah Ragland leads the team with 119 total blocks, ranking eighth in the nation.

ABOUT THE TRITONS
- Eckerd enters the weekend leading the SSC in total aces with 140.  Tjasa Kotnik is the individual leader with 38, while Kaitlyn Sibson ranks third with 34.
- Sibson recorded a career-high 32 digs on Friday in a five-set win over Embry-Riddle, putting her over 800 digs for her young career.  She ranks fifth in conference averaging 4.68 digs per set.
- Kotnik ranks seconds in the conference in kills per set (3.96).  JaQuayla Baker has also been hot as of late, averaging 3.7 kills per set over her last seven matches.