Tritons Fall to No. 14 FAU, Sweep Morehead State at Battle On The Bay

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd beach volleyball team split a pair of matches on the first day of the Battle On The Bay Invitational, falling to No. 14 Florida Atlantic before bouncing back to sweep Morehead State (Ky.) in the final contest of the day.

The Tritons (7-6) played competitive matches with the Owls in the opener, including at the No. 1 pair where Kaitlyn Sibson and Madison Whiting took Jessalyn Kinlaw and Megan Rice to three sets.  Sibson and Whiting won the first set, 21-16, but dropped the second, 21-14, before Kinlaw and Rice prevailed with a 15-9 win in the third.

Arielle Erillo and Abigail O'Ferrell hung tough at the No. 2 position while Katie Arnette and Fernanda Reis were edged at the No. 4 pair.

Eckerd came back to defeat Morehead State, 5-0, in its second match in dominant fashion taking all five contests in straight sets.

Erillo and O'Ferrell blew past Jordan Jones and Hope Rillema, 21-6 and 21-4, at the No. 2 spot.

Sibson and Whiting also posted a convincing win as the No. 1 pair, 21-13 and 21-6, while Savanna Cary and Mackenzie Redner breezed past Danielle McCarson and Maddie Fella, 21-14 and 21-8.

Stephanie Bogda and Rachel Cornatzer scored a 21-9, 21-16 win in the No. 4 spot and Reis and Arnette completed the sweep outlasting Liz Allen and Chandler Clark, 22-20 and 23-21.

Hosting the inaugural event at Northshore Park in downtown St. Petersburg, the first day featured a total of seven matches among six teams, two of which are nationally ranked.

The Tritons return to play tomorrow with three matches.

#14 Florida Atlantic 5, Eckerd 0
1. Kinlaw,Jessalyn/Rice,Megan (FAU) def. Kaitlyn Sibson/Madison Whiting (EC) 16-21, 21-14, 15-9
2. Lacour,Candace/Dischler,Gabrielle (FAU) def. Arielle Erillo/Abigail O'Ferrell (EC) 21-18, 21-16
3. Pellitteri,Brittany/Barker,Jazmine (FAU) def. Stephanie Bogda/Rachel Cornatzer (EC) 21-6, 21-11
4. Gott,Sam/Ristic,Maja (FAU) def. Fernanda Reis/Katie Arnette (EC) 21-19, 21-18
5. Navarro,Nicole/Grant,Nicole (FAU) def. Savanna Cary/Mackenzie Redner (EC) 21-9, 21-12

Eckerd 5, Morehead State 0
1. Kaitlyn Sibson/Madison Whiting (EC) def. Sydney Schuler/Bailey Nichol (MSU) 21-13, 21-6
2. Arielle Erillo/Abigail O'Ferrell (EC) def. Jordan Jones/Hope Rillema (MSU) 21-6, 21-4
3. Fernanda Reis/Katie Arnette (EC) def. Liz Allen/Chandler Clark (MSU) 22-20, 23-21
4. Stephanie Bogda/Rachel Cornatzer (EC) def. Morgan Walters/Karlee Reynolds (MSU) 21-9, 21-16
5. Savanna Cary/Mackenzie Redner (EC) def. Danielle McCarson/Maddie Fella (MSU) 21-14, 21-8