ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - It took a little while for the Eckerd volleyball team to find a rhythm on Friday during the first day of the Eckerd Invitational but when they did, the Tritons showed the type of potential that head coach
Michelle Piantadosi-Lima believed exists.
After losing their opening match to Malone (Ohio), 3-1, the Tritons bounced back for a 3-1 victory in the nightcap over Tiffin (Ohio) fueled by a pair of dominant wins in the last two sets.
HOW IT ENDED
Game 1
Final: Malone 3, Eckerd 1 (25-23, 22-25, 20-25, 23-25)
Records: Eckerd 0-1; Malone 1-1
Game 2
Final: Eckerd 3, Tiffin 1 (25-23, 20-25, 25-19, 25-15)
Records: Eckerd 1-1; Tiffin 1-1
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1
- The Tritons jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first set behind the service of Sarah Johnshoy and three kills from Rachel Wisian. The Tritons still maintained a seven-point lead late in the set at 20-13 before the Pioneers worked to close the gap, pulling within three at 23-20. An Anna Jungjohann kill got EC to set point but three straight Triton errors followed as Malone cut the deficit to a single point. Agata Sklepik kept the set from going into extra points with a kill for a 25-23 set win.
- Eckerd took a quick 6-2 lead in set two and maintained a four-point lead midway through the set. However, Malone won points on seven of nine rallies to take a 16-15 lead and, after a series of side-outs, was able to pull away late for a 25-22 set victory.
- Eckerd again built a 6-2 lead in the third set, and again Malone overcame the early deficit. The Pioneers took a 10-9 lead after winning six points over a seven-rally stretch. The teams swapped the lead twice and the score was tied at 16-16 before Malone took control late and earned a 25-20 win for a 2-1 match lead.
- The Tritons used a five-point run midway through the fourth set to build a 14-11 lead, and still held onto a three-point lead (22-19) late in the set. Malone quickly erased the deficit with a four-point run. EC tied the set on a Wisian kill, but the Pioneers took the final two points on a Hannah Eliason kill and ace to complete the 3-1 win.
Game 2
- After three lead changes early in set one and a series of side-outs on 11 straight rallies, Eckerd took three straight points for a 23-20 lead and got to set point two rallies later on a Sklepik kill. Tiffin took the next two points before a Wisian kill clinched a 25-23 set win.
- Tiffin took a 9-5 lead in the second set only to see Eckerd take four straight points to tie the score. However, the Dragons responded with their own four-point run and led the rest of the set on the way to a 25-20 win, evening the match at one set each.
- A six-point Triton run in the third set helped EC build a 20-12 lead. Tiffin responded with five straight points to get back within three but Eckerd closed the set by taking five of the last seven points and a 25-19 win.
- Eckerd took control of the fourth set with an early seven-point run and later used a pair of four-point runs to take a commanding 19-7 lead. Tiffin could get no closer than within eight points of the lead as the Tritons finished the match victory with an emphatic kill from Asya Harris, her 17th of the match.
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Harris recorded her first career double-double with 17 kills and 10 digs in the win over Tiffin. Sklepik (13 kills, 10 digs) and Sydney Case (52 assists, 10 digs) also posted double-doubles.
- Wisian was a bright spot in the Eckerd offense in the first game with 15 kills and a .538 attack percentage. Jungjohann added 12 kills in the opener in her Triton debut.
- Junior libero Luana Rezende had a team-high 22 digs in the win over Tiffin while fellow newcomer Dana Dull had 18.
- Eckerd hit a blistering .457 in the fourth set against Tiffin.
UP NEXT
The Tritons play twice on Saturday to finish the tournament, taking on West Liberty (W.V.) at 3:00 PM and Central Oklahoma at 7:30 PM.
