MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- The Eckerd Tritons volleyball team came up short against the No. 3 ranked Barry Buccaneers on Friday, falling by a score of 3-1.
After Barry took the opening set, the Tritons bounced back with an efficient showing in set two, hitting .500 with 19 kills on their way to a 25-17 victory. Eckerd jumped out in front for good with a 5-0 scoring run early on, highlighted by a pair of aces from
Kinga Michalska. The Bucs got within two at 12-10, but the Tritons used one more big scoring run to build a lead of as many as 10 before evening the match with the eight-point win.
Neither team held a lead of more than two points for a majority of the third set. Trailing 16-14, the Tritons won the next four rallies to go out in front by two. Barry countered with the game's next eight points before
Seiler Hruska halted the scoring outburst with a kill. The Buccaneers notched the final point on the ensuing rally to claim a 2-1 advantage in the match.
Despite the home team grabbing the first three points of the fourth, it was Eckerd who took control of the game early on after a 7-1 run gave them a 9-5 lead. Barry eventually tied the set at 11-11, but consecutive service aces by
Sidney Knowles moments later capped off a 5-1 spurt for the Tritons to put the team back in front by four for the second time in the frame. The Bucs answered out of a timeout with the next five points, and the two teams went back and forth before the first match point at a score of 25-24. Eckerd fended off a total of seven match points in a thrilling end to the contest and had one set point of its own at 28-27, but the home team finally sealed the win with a score of 33-31.
Michalska had 18 kills to lead the Tritons, while
Jaelynn Tunley and Hruska each added nine. Michalska also contributed 11 digs and five service aces.
Eckerd will be back in action tomorrow to face No. 10 Lynn.
