ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A rapid shift in fortune midway through the second set took an exciting night for the Eckerd volleyball team and turned it into a 3-1 loss to Florida Southern in the McArthur Center on Tuesday night.
HOW IT ENDED
Final: Florida Southern 3, Eckerd 1 (23-25, 26-24, 25-17, 25-16)
Records: Eckerd 8-10 (3-8 SSC); Florida Southern 13-7 (8-4 SSC)
KEY MOMENTS
- Eckerd erased an early three-point deficit in the first set, which was tightly contested the rest of the way. Â A run of three straight points, two via Arielle Erillo aces, gave Eckerd a lead which it never surrendered though the Mocs stayed very close. Paula Hoffmann's kill got Eckerd to set point at 24-22 and, after FSC stayed alive on the next rally, a combo block by Rachel Wisian and Payton Meader gave the Tritons the first set, 25-23.
- The Tritons stormed ahead to a 17-9 lead in the second set, seemingly on the verge of a 2-0 match lead. Â However, behind the service of Bethany Besancenez, the Mocs rolled off seven straight points before a service error ended the run. Â Momentum had clearly shifted, though, as Florida Southern took the lead at 21-20. The teams traded points over the next seven rallies before an Eckerd service error and an FSC ace closed the comeback victory for the Moccasins.
- Besancenez again gave Eckerd problems at the service line early in the third set as Florida Southern raced to an 11-2 lead. Â The Mocs led by as many as 10 points before Eckerd managed to pull within five, but the Tritons got no closer. Â FSC won points on six straight rallies to all but assure the set win. Â A late Eckerd run wasn't enough as Florida Southern took a 2-1 match lead.
- Florida Southern once again took a commanding early lead in set four, and the Tritons never recovered. Â The Mocs hit .344 in the set on the way to a 25-16 victory to close the match.
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- The Tritons struggled on the attack in the final two sets hitting .071 and .049 respectively, while FSC hit .343 and .344 in the same sets.
- Hoffmann (14 kills, 14 digs) and Abbie O'Ferrell (13 kills, 10 digs) each had double-doubles for Eckerd.
- Erillo finished the match with 23 digs, leaving her 20 digs shy of reaching 1000 for her career.
UP NEXT
The Tritons host Rollins (3-16, 1-11 SSC) on Thursday at 7:00 PM in the McArthur Center.
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