ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd volleyball team was one point away from upsetting No. 9 Tampa in its Sunshine State Conference opener Friday night at the McArthur Center. However, the Spartans rallied and eventually took the match in five sets.
Tampa took a late lead in the opening set before the Tritons ended the set on a 6-1 stretch to take the opener. EC dominated the second set, 25-12, using an early 5-1 run before closing the set on a 13-4 stretch.
UT stayed in front for most of the third set, but EC stormed back with a 6-1 run to tie the game at 23-23. The teams then swapped leads to force the set into extra points before Tampa took the third, 31-29. Tampa maintained a slight edge through the fourth set before taking it at 25-20. UT then took the decisive fifth set, 15-3.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: No. 9 Tampa 3, Eckerd 2 (25-22, 25-12, 29-31, 20-25, 3-15)
RECORDS: Eckerd 7-2 (0-1 SSC), Tampa 6-1 (1-0 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- EC had a .225 hitting percentage in the match, which is their best mark against the Spartans since 2016.
- Eckerd posted 12 total blocks, marking their highest total blocks since Sept. 28, 2019.
- Joelle Coulter and Ranya Mehta led Eckerd's attack with 16 and 14 kills, respectively.
- Coulter added 14 digs for her fifth double-double of the season.
- Krysten Garrison also posted a double-double, her second of the season, with 43 assists and 13 digs. She also added seven kills and two aces.
- Daniella Russo-Lolas paced the back row with 20 digs.
- Anna Jungjohann posted a career-high eight total blocks. She also collected seven kills on just 12 attempts without committing an error.
- Head coach, Michelle Piantadosi-Lima, was recognized before the match for becoming the program's all-time wins leader.
UP NEXT
Eckerd returns to action on Saturday with a trip to Florida Southern at 4:00 PM.
