ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. The Eckerd volleyball team opened up its season with a dominant, 3-0, win over Valdosta State (Ga.) in the first match of the Flagler Invitational before dropping the evening contest, 3-0, to No. 6 Lewis (Ill.) on Friday.
Against the Blazers, Eckerd produced its most efficient attack since 2006, hitting at a .461 percent clip. After a tight exchange early in the first set, EC used a 10-0 run to distance themselves before taking the set 25-14. EC followed with a similar run in the second set (25-16). In the final set, the Tritons used a pair of 10-1 and 7-0 runs to take the match.
In the finale, the nationally-ranked Flyers jumped ahead early in both the first and third sets and used a large run late in the second set to sweep the match.
HOW IT ENDED
Game One
FINAL: Eckerd 3, Valdosta State 0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-16)
Game Two
FINAL: #6 Lewis 3, Eckerd 0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-7)
RECORDS: Eckerd (1-1), Valdosta State (1-1), Lewis (1-0)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Eckerd's .461 hitting percentage was the team's best single-match mark since hitting .481 against Florida Tech in 2006.
- Anna Jungjohann hit a blistering .917 in the opening match, collecting 11 kills on 12 swings.
- Ranya Mehta and Jungjohann led the team with 11 kills each in the opening match.
- Krysten Garrison nearly recorded a triple-double against VSU, with 28 assists, nine kills, and eight digs.
- Nicki Bechtold paced the back row against the Blazers with nine digs.
- EC committed only six errors against the Blazer but finished with 19 against the Flyers.
- Joelle Coulter led the Tritons with six kills and seven digs in the finale.
QUOTABLE
"In the morning, we saw some good things offensively against Valdosta State, and in the afternoon, we faced a strong Lewis team and saw some things that we still have to iron out," said head coach Michelle Piantadosi-Lima. "The good news is we have the season to do so, and I trust we will put the work in to learn from where we fell short this afternoon. Although we would have liked to come out 2-0, there was a lot there to be excited about going into tomorrow."
UP NEXT
Eckerd faces a quick turnaround with another two games at the Flagler Invitational tomorrow. They play Belmont Abbey (NC) at 3:00 PM and Flagler (Fla.) at 7:30 PM.
