Tritons Open South Region Crossover with Four-Set Win over Christian Brothers

HOOVER, Ala. - The Eckerd volleyball team opened the 2017 South Region Crossover on a high note, winning the third and fourth sets on the way to a 3-1 victory over Christian Brothers (Tenn.) on Friday evening.

HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 3, Christian Brothers 1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-13, 25-23)
Records: Eckerd 8-5; Christian Brothers 11-12
All-Time Series: Eckerd leads, 5-0

HOW IT HAPPENED
* The Tritons got off to a quick start, using a pair of four-point runs to build a 9-4 lead.  After a series of side-outs, EC took three straight points - two via kills from Abbie O'Ferrell - to expand its lead to 16-9.  That lead never fell below four points the rest of the set as Eckerd took a 25-19 win for a 1-0 match lead.
* The second set was a role reversal as CBU took an early lead after winning five of the first six points.  The Tritons rallied with five straight points to tie the set at 12-12, but the Bucs responded by taking seven of the next eight points to regain firm control of the set.  EC pulled within three points late but got no closer as CBU evened the match at 1-1 with a 25-20 set win.
* Eckerd dominated the third set from the opening point.  Kali Boatwright recorded two service aces to start the set, and the Tritons followed soon thereafter with a four-point run and a five-point run for a commanding 12-3 lead.  Another four-point run that included two Arielle Erillo aces extended the lead to 18-7. The Bucs never recorded more than two points in a row during the set as EC took a 25-13 win and a 2-1 match lead.
* In the fourth set, the tone of the match changed in that neither team took control early. CBU turned a 10-8 deficit into a 14-12 lead, but Eckerd ran off three consecutive points to retake the advantage.  There were 13 ties in the set before the Tritons won points on four straight rallies for a 23-21 lead, forcing a CBU timeout.  The Bucs won the next two points to tie the set again, but a pair of Mackenzie Redner kills finished the set and the match for the Tritons.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
* Paula Hoffmann recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 16 kills and 13 digs.
* Stephanie Karlovics and Mackenzie Redner both had season-highs in kills.  Karlovics tallied 12 on just 21 attempts while Redner had 11, including the match-winner.
* Fernanda Reis set a new career-high in assists with 50, topping her previous best of 47.
* Eckerd outhit CBU, .225 to .159, and had 56 kills to the Bucs' 41.
* The Tritons served 11 aces in the match, marking the fourth time this season that the team has reached double-digits in the category.

NOTABLE
* Eckerd has won six of its last seven matches at the South Region Crossover.
* Christian Brothers defeated SSC member Lynn University earlier in the day in four sets.
* The SSC won 10 of the 15 matches against the Gulf South Conference during the first day of play.

UP NEXT
The Tritons play twice on Saturday, first taking on West Florida at 1:15 and closing against Lee (Tenn.) at 8:00 PM.  Lee swept Lynn on Friday while West Florida defeated Rollins in four sets.