ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Taking on nationally-ranked opponents to open the season certainly seemed to sharpen the skills of the Eckerd beach volleyball team.
The Tritons (2-3) blitzed their opponents on Friday on the first day of the Battle on the Bay at North Shore Parks, sweeping both Morehead State (Ky.) and Webber International (Fla.), 5-0.
In the first match of the day, Eckerd did not drop a single set to Morehead State, instead earning dominant wins in all five draws.
Arielle Erillo and
Madison Whiting were dangerously close to perfect in the No. 3 position in defeating Jessica Hall and Karlee Reynolds, 21-4 and 21-6.
Paula Hoffmann and
Kaitlyn Sibson had no trouble in the No. 2 draw with a 21-13, 21-11 victory. The result for
Rachel Cornatzer and
Jordan Duffy in the No. 5 position was nearly the same as the tandem won 21-12, 21-13.
In the No. 4 draw,
Stephanie Bogda and
Kali Boatwright held off Jordan Jones and Lauren Rokey for a 21-18 first-set win, then breezed to a 21-10 win in the second.
Savanna Cary and
Mackenzie Redner finished the sweep on the No. 1 position with a 21-19, 21-15 win.
The Tritons had to do a little more work in the day's finale against a solid Webber International squad but still walked away without a loss.
Moving into the No. 1 position, Hoffmann and Sibson continued their dominance as a duo with a 21-14, 21-11 win. Bogda and Boatwright breezed past their opponents in the No. 4 draw as well, 21-13 and 21-8. Cornatzer and Duffy also won in straight sets edging Teryn Mills and Jessica Terry in the first set, 21-18, before taking an easy 21-6 win in the second.
Redner and Cary, playing in the No. 2 draw, won a three-set thriller over Amber Lake and Hannah Tannone. After taking the first set, 21-6, the Triton tandem fell in set two, 21-17. Redner and Cary eventually pulled through in the decisive set for a 15-12 win.
Whiting and Erillo also went to a third set in the No. 3 position. They won the first, 21-14, but dropped the second, 21-19. However, they were able to take control in the third set and picked up a comfortable 15-8 win.
Eckerd continues play tomorrow with matches against Tampa and Florida Southern.
