DELAND, Fla. - The Triton beach volleyball team split a pair of matches at the Stetson Beach Blast on Saturday, falling 3-2 to Mercer (Ga.) before rebounding with a 4-1 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Mercer won at the bottom three draws to defeat Eckerd in the Tritons' first game of the day.
Kaitlyn Sibson and
Paula Hoffmann continued their stellar play with a 21-16, 21-14 win at the No. 1 draw while
Arielle Erillo and
Madison Whiting came from behind to defeat Jessica Johnson and Elli Gibson. Â Gibson and Johnson dominated the first set, 21-9, but the Triton tandem forced a third set with a 21-17 win and then took that final set, 15-11.
Eckerd (5-4) recovered in the afternoon taking on Texas A&M-Kingsville, starting strong with wins at the No. 4 and No. 5 draws. Â Stephanie Bodga and
Kali Boatwright swept Maelee Sowa and Madeline Sims, 23-21 and 21-16. Â
Rachel Cornatzer and
Jordan Duffy had to go to three sets at the No. 4 position after winning the first but dropping the second. Â In the third set, Cornatzer and Duffy were dominant on the way to a 15-3 win.
Erillo and Whiting took a straight-sets win at the No. 2 draw, 22-20 and 21-16 for what turned out to be the decisive point. Â Sibson and Hoffmann also won in three sets over Gabby Atchley and Whitney Walker (21-12, 19-21, 15-8).
The Tritons return to the courts with a tri-match at Tampa on Tuesday where they will face Stevenson (Md.) and Tampa beginning at 4:00 PM.
