PEMBROKE, N.C. -- The Eckerd Tritons volleyball team went 1-1 on day one of the UNC Pembroke Invitational on Friday, suffering a 3-0 loss to No. 19 Wingate before defeating the Coker Cobras in straight sets.
Eckerd fell behind early in both sets one and two against the nationally-ranked Bulldogs of Wingate, dropping the opener by a score of 25-19 and set two by a 25-12 mark. The third set featured a back-and-forth battle, with Eckerd breaking away first with a 5-0 run early on to take a 12-8 lead. The Tritons remained out in front and were the first to 20 points with a 20-15 advantage, but the Bulldogs responded with six in a row to regain their first lead since it was 8-7. Eckerd fought to set up game point, but Wingate tallied four of the final five points to win the frame 28-26 and complete the match win.Â
Kinga Michalska and
Hayden Nash each led the team with seven kills apiece.
In match two vs. Coker, the Tritons and Cobras exchanged rally wins to start and found themselves in an early 10-10 tie before Eckerd pulled away for good with seven points in a row. Overall, the Tritons ended the first set on a 15-5 scoring run and held Coker to a hitting percentage of just .034. The defense picked up for the Tritons in the second, forcing a negative hitting percentage for the opponent while posting a match-best .294 of their own. Eckerd again ended the game with a big scoring surge, closing out the Cobras with a 13-3 run for a 25-16 victory. The team notched its third sweep of the season with a 25-21 in the third.
The Tritons hit .235 in the win, led by Nash's 10 kills on 17 swings to go with four assisted blocks.
Gabi Jedrzejczak added 25 assists and 14 digs.
With the split, Eckerd now sits at 5-1 on the season. The team will be back in action tomorrow to face Virginia State and UNC Pembroke.
