VOLLEYBALL GAMEDAY: Eckerd Hosts Lynn, Nova Southeastern This Weekend

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - After notching two conference wins last week, the Eckerd College volleyball team will attempt to extend its streak as it returns to the McArthur Center this weekend to host Lynn University on Friday at 7:00 PM and Nova Southeastern on Saturday at 4:00 PM.

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SETTING THE STAGE
The Tritons (7-6, 2-3) snapped a five-game skid last weekend with a pair of wins including four-set upset of then-No. 6 Florida Southern on Friday.  They will look to add to the winning streak and head into next weekend's South Region Crossover with momentum on their side.

Lynn (7-6, 1-4) also won both of its matches last weekend after losing five straight and scored its first conference victory, defeating Rollins in straight sets.  Cleuza Porto led the Knights on Saturday with 14 kills.

Nova Southeastern (11-4, 4-1) got off to a blazing start to the season by winning 10 of its first 11 matches, but has since dropped three of its last four.  The Sharks visit Saint Leo on Friday before coming to McArthur on Saturday.

LAST TIME THEY MET
Lynn hit an impressive .363 for the match as the Knight posts a straight-sets win over Eckerd in Boca Raton on November 4, 2014.  Tjasa Kotnik was the only Triton to reach double-digits in kills with 12.  Lynn won both contests last season in straight sets.

Kotnik had a big day with 22 kills while Grace Jones and Lauryn Nelson each added 11 as the Tritons avenged an earlier loss to Nova Southeastern, defeating the Sharks in four sets on October 24, 2014.

INSIDE THE SERIES
vs. Lynn: The Tritons hold a narrow 20-17 lead in the all-time series against Lynn.  It's been quite competitive over the last five seasons, with both teams winning five times.

vs. Nova Southeastern: Eckerd leads the all-time series over NSU, 27-22.  The teams split their matches last season.  The Tritons had won seven straight over the Sharks before last season.

ABOUT THE KNIGHTS
- Lynn's season has been almost a carbon copy of Eckerd's.  The Knights won five of their first six matches, then dropped five straight before recovering with two wins last weekend.  Five of their seven wins have come in straight sets.
- While the Knights don't feature a dominant hitter, they have a very balanced attack with five players near or above two kills per set.  Lydia West leads the team with 2.48 kills per set followed closely by Morgan Dulaney (2.45).  Cleuza Porto (2.27), Cristina Llorens (2.24) and Claire Angelich (1.93) round out the team's top offensive options.
- Lynn has a familiar face on the sidelines in former Triton AVCA All-American Lydee (Benoit) Plexico who is in her first year as an assistant coach with the Knights.  She is the program's all-time leader in kills with 1,747.

ABOUT THE SHARKS
- Nova Southeastern relies primarily on three hitters to anchor its attack - Dana Holger, Denvyr Tyler-Palmer and Sydney Cook.  Holger averages 3.39 kills per set while Tyler-Palmer averages 2.68 and Cook averages 2.50.
- The Sharks lead the conference in service aces with 97.  Five players have served more than 10 aces led by Tyler-Palmer's 21 and Megan Burns' 20.
- NSU is 4-0 in matches that have gone to five sets so far this season.  Two of its conference wins came in five sets over Barry and Florida Tech.

ABOUT THE TRITONS
- A pair of quality performances last weekend moved the Tritons up into third place in the conference in hitting percentage (.240).  The statistic is good for 28th in NCAA Division II.
- Tjasa Kotnik and Kaitlyn Sibson rank first and third respectively in the conference in aces.  Kotnik recorded six - including five in a row - on Saturday against Florida Tech and ranks 23rd in the nation in aces per set (0.53).
- JaQuayla Baker has been very difficult to stop on the attack as of late.  The junior transfer from DePaul (Ill.) is hitting a blistering .386 over her last three matches while averaging 2.7 kills per set.  She's also posted 10 blocks in the same stretch.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (Stat, Conference Rank)
KILLS/SET: EC - Kotnik (4.27, 1st); LYNN - West (2.48, 17th); NSU - Holger (3.39, 5th)
HITTING %: EC - Baker (.281, 11th); LYNN - Angelich (.323, 3rd); NSU - Donahue (.280, 12th)
ASSISTS/SET: EC - Schadow (7.71, 6th); LYNN - Tandron (9.36, 3rd); NSU - Pyles (9.16, 4th)
DIGS/SET: EC - Sibson (4.53, 5th); LYNN - Knight (4.20, 6th); NSU - Brock (3.60, 8th)
TOTAL ACES: EC - Kotnik (26, 1st); LYNN - Knight (25, 2nd); NSU - Tyler-Palmer (21, T-4th)
TOTAL BLOCKS: EC - Baker (44, 6th); LYNN - Angelich (47, T-4th); NSU - Donahue (40, 10th)