ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd beach volleyball team wrapped up the Eckerd College Battle on the Bay on Saturday with two tough losses. The Tritons began the day with a 4-1 defeat to the Tampa Spartans, followed by another 4-1 setback against the PBA Sailfish later in the evening.
Eckerd (6-14) dropped the first match of the day 4-1 to conference opponent Tampa (10-8).
Eckerd's top flight of Brooke Hand and Anna Jupin started their day with a hard-fought victory, defeating Elizabeth Price and Angel Williams in straight sets, 26-24 and 21-18. No. 2 Addie White and Madison Hardbarger battled closely in their opening set, narrowly falling 21-19, before dropping the second set 21-10.
The other three pairings battled hard but ultimately fell in straight sets for Eckerd.Â
The Triton's second match of the day ended similarly, with PBA (13-10) securing a 4-1 win.
Hand and Jupin came out strong in their second match of the day, securing the Tritons' only victory. In a thrilling back-and-forth contest, the Eckerd duo won the first set 21-18 before narrowly falling 21-19 in the second. Despite rainy conditions, Hand and Jupin found their rhythm and dominated the third set, clinching a 15-6 win over the Sailfish.
White and Hardbarger took an early lead, winning their first set 21-19, before dropping the second set 21-13. In a hard-fought third set, they ultimately fell 15-9 in a tightly contested finish. Teagan VanderMey and Ella Kloepper put up a strong fight but were narrowly edged by their opponents in straight sets 22-20 and 21-19, just missing out on forcing a third set.
The final two matches resulted in losses for the Tritons.
Eckerd returns to action on April 5th in Jacksonville, Fla., facing off against Mercer University (Ga.) and Jacksonville University.
Results
Game One
University of Tampa 4, Eckerd 1
1. Brooke Hand and Anna Jupin (ECBVB) def. Elizabeth Price and Angel Williams (UT) 26-24, 21-18
2. Nevaeh Wolfe and Hailey Wolfe (UT) def. Addie White and Madison Hardbarger (ECBVB) 21-19, 21-10
3. Madelynn Hokanson and Hailey Peterson (UT) def. Teagan VanderMey and Ella Kloepper (ECBVB) 21-12, 21-10
4. Anna Bayes and Brooke Green (UT) def. Marti Lu Boser and Maddie Prois (ECBVB) 21-12, 21-18
5. Sammie Ostrander and Meghan Schreck (UT) def. Emma Samuelson and Mariana OlivaresCely (ECBVB) 21-18, 21-13
Game Two
Palm Beach Atlantic University 4, Eckerd 1
1. Brooke Hand and Anna Jupin (ECBVB) def. Anna Dunbar and Serena Baumgart (PBA) 21-18, 19-21, 15-6
2. Camdyn Albrecht and Katelyn Nadeau (PBA) def. Addie White and Madison Hardbarger (ECBVB) 19-21, 21-13, 15-9
3. Abby Plevin and Annika Huhtamaki (PBA) def. Teagan VanderMey and Ella Kloepper (ECBVB) 22-20, 21-19
4. Sydney Corbett and Cameron Ring (PBA) def. Marti Lu Boser and Maddie Prois (ECBVB) 21-7, 21-13
5. Zoye Caroline and Angela Goggin (PBA) def. Jocelyn Escoffery and Jessi Meghreblian (ECBVB) 21-12, 21-15
