ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd beach volleyball team dropped a pair of contests to Missouri State, 3-2, and Tampa, 5-0, at the sixth annual Battle on the Bay at the North Shore Courts Saturday afternoon.
Eckerd began the day narrowly falling to Missouri State in the first match before losing to Tampa in the afternoon.
The Tritons battled against Missouri State (4-1), winning the No. 1 and No. 4 draws. Anna Jungjohann and Nicole Perekhodko started things off right for the Tritons, winning their matchup 21-12 and 21-18 in the No. 4 slot. MSU then took the No. 5 pairing.
Joelle Coulter and Kitana Lim gave Eckerd a 2-1 advantage, defeating MSU's Tylar Garrett and Mya Young, 21-16 and 21-14 in the No. 1 slot. Martina Melicherova and Mariana Olivares-Cely nearly won the first set out of the No. 2 draw but fell 21-19 and lost in the second set 21-8 as Missouri State took the No. 3 draw for the victory.
In the second match, Eckerd took on Tampa (4-2) and dropped all five matches in straight sets.
The Tritons (0-2) aim to bounce back on day two of the Battle on the Bay with matches against the College of Charleston (S.C.) and Saint Leo on Saturday at 1:00 and 4:00 PM, respectively.
Game One
Missouri State 3, Eckerd 2
1. Joelle Coulter/Kitana Lim (ECBVB) def. Tylar Garrett/Mya Young (MSU) 21-16, 21-14
2. Grace Cook/Chloe Tome (MSU) def. Martina Melicherova/Mariana Olivares (ECBVB) 21-19, 21-8
3. Becca Bach/Grayson Hall (MSU) def. Sophia Romigh/Daniella Russo-Lolas (ECBVB) 21-9, 21-10
4. Anna Jungjohann/Nicole Perekhodko (ECBVB) def. Kaeli Kristensen/Brooke Plessner (MSU) 21-12, 21-18
5. Parker McAllen/Olivia Rattler (MSU) def. Nicki Bechtold/Tiani Bello (ECBVB) 21-8, 21-12
Game Two
Tampa 5, Eckerd 0
1. Julia Oswald/Rachel Rosequist (UT) def. Joelle Coulter/Kitana Lim (ECBVB) 21-15, 21-15
2. Payton Brunick/Kiersten Anderson (UT) def. Sophia Romigh/Daniella Russo-Lolas (ECBVB) 21-8, 21-12
3. Madison Brunick/Melissa Elias (UT) def. Martina Melicherova/Mariana Olivares (ECBVB) 21-15, 21-12
4. Tatiana Gutierrez/Katie McKiel (UT) def. Anna Jungjohann/Nicole Perekhodko (ECBVB) 21-12, 21-18
5. Claire Overton/Valerie Rosequist (UT) def. Nicki Bechtold/Agata Sklepik (ECBVB) 21-13, 21-12
