Kotnik Paces Tritons in Dominating Opening Day Performance

Box Score FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - For the most part, it was the start to the season that Eckerd volleyball head coach Michelle Piantadosi was wanting.

The Tritons opened the year in dominating fashion at the Nova Southeastern Invitational, scoring a straight-sets win over Virginia State (25-15, 25-17, 25-13).

"We looked pretty sharp but there are a lot of things we need to continue to get better at," said Piantadosi.  "I saw some good things out there today."

Eckerd wasted no time in taking control, jumping out to a 13-2 lead in the first set.  Freshman Rachel Cornatzer was a big part of that with three kills and a block during the run.

"Rachel came in and did a phenomenal job," Piantadosi said.  "She was really confident."

Tjasa Kotnik took over from there, putting down seven of her match-high 11 kills in the first set.

Eckerd again bolted ahead in set two taking a 10-4 lead early on.  The Trojans managed to pull back within four points shortly thereafter but got no closer as the Tritons closed out an eight-point win.

The dominance continued in the final set as EC had a run of six straight points to take control early, and kept the pressure on by rarely allowing VSU a side-out.  Lauryn Nelson and JaQuayla Baker combined for the final three points of the match, all on kills, to close out the straight-sets win.

It was a solid performance for a team that has had its issues with minor injuries in the preseason.  One of those injuries necessitated senior setter Emily Schadow to stay on the floor the entire time, a change from the usual two-setter rotation Piantadosi usually employs.

"We have three starters out with injury so we had to go with a lineup that we hadn't fully prepared to put out there," Piantadosi said. "Emily did a great job with very little preparation to run the offense."

Baker had eight kills and three blocks in her Eckerd debut while Nelson added six kills.  Schadow finished with 31 assists, and Kotnik paced the defense with eight digs.

The Tritons finish off the tournament with two matches tomorrow, first against Oklahoma Baptist at 11:30 AM followed by East Central (Okla.) at 4:30 PM.