TAVARES, Fla. - The Eckeed beach volleyball team advanced to the AVCA Small College Championships on Sunday, but came up one match short of its second championship in the last three years.
The Tritons defeated Tampa in the semifinals, 4-1, before falling in the finals to Texas A&M Kingsville, 4-1.
In the semifinals, Eckerd handled Tampa with straight-sets wins at the Nos. 1, 3, and 4 draws. Â
Kaitlyn Sibson and
Paula Hoffmann scored a 21-13, 21-16 win as the No. 1 pair while
Rachel Cornatzer and
Jordan Duffy won by the same score in the No. 4 spot.
Arielle Erillo and
Madison Whiting earned the third and winning point at the No. 3 draw with a 21-12, 25-23 win.
Savanna Cary and
Mackenzie Redner also picked up a victory in the No. 2 spot in three sets (21-18, 20-22, 15-13).
The Tritons were unable to carry that momentum into the championship against the Javelinas, a team Eckerd defeated 4-1 earlier this spring. Â Sibson and Hoffmann earned the team's only win with a 21-16, 21-13 straight-sets victory to run their winning streak to an amazing 22 matches.
Eckerd (17-6) closes the season with the most wins in the program's four-year history.
