Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Five-set matches are becoming a norm for the Eckerd Triton volleyball team this season.
So is winning them.
The Tritons (11-4, 5-1 SSC) claimed victory in their second straight five-setter, this time holding off Barry (Fla.) University on Saturday afternoon (24-26, 25-20, 25-15, 23-25, 15-13) in the McArthur Center to claim sole possession of first place in the Sunshine State Conference.
Four of Eckerd's five SSC wins have come in five sets.
"I don't think we played all that well overall but what really showed was our toughness and will to win," said EC head coach
Michelle Piantadosi. "I think we played our best in the toughest moments. Once again, we came up with huge plays at moments when we need them the most."
"The character of this team is so tough. I'm very proud of these young women."
Just like last night, the Tritons were often at their best late in sets. That was certainly the case in the decisive fifth set, when Eckerd found itself down 6-3 early.
Three kills and a Barry error in the next five points tied it up and set the stage for a thrilling finish.
The teams swapped points over the next 10 rallies and sat tied at 12-12 before
Lauryn Nelson put away a kill to give EC its first lead of the set. The Tritons then forced an attack error to get to match point and clinched the win on a
Mackenzie Redner kill.
Barry (8-5, 2-3 SSC) took a page out of Eckerd's book in both of its set wins, pulling out narrow two-point victories in the first and fourth sets and fended off set point in the opener. Eckerd responded in set two by taking an early lead and squaring the match with a 25-20 win.
The Tritons then dominated the third set, 25-15, hitting .481 while limiting the Bucs to a .111 attack percentage.
Barry responded by taking an early lead in the fourth set and held onto a 14-9 advantage before EC went on a hot streak to tie the set at 15-15. The two teams soon followed with dueling runs of four straight points, with Eckerd's answering streak tying the set once again at 23-23. However, the Bucs took the last two points and extended the match to a fifth set.
Eckerd, as has been the case since SSC play began, was up to the challenge, scoring its fourth five-set win in conference.
For the second straight day,
Kali Boatwright led the Triton attack with 16 kills.
JaQuayla Baker added 12 with
Katie Arnette and
Sarah Johnshoy each chipping in 10. Johnshoy (7) and Baker (6) also combined for 13 blocks.
Gabriella Reis had 36 assists while
Fernanda Reis had 14.
Kaitlyn Sibson (20), Boatwright (13) and
Margot Balliet (11) all reached double-digits in digs.
Following the win, the Tritons find themselves alone in first place in the Sunshine State standings following Lynn's win over Florida Southern. It ended a good week for Eckerd, which went 3-0 at home before entering a stretch of six matches on the road.
"That was our goal," said Piantadosi, "but we did a great job of staying hungry and focusing on the next game and not getting too caught up in the previous win."
The Tritons begin their road swing next weekend with trips to Embry-Riddle (Fla.) on Friday and Rollins (Fla.) on Saturday.
