ST. PETERSBURG – The Eckerd volleyball team pushed No. 9 Barry with a dominant third-set performance, but the Buccaneers prevailed in four sets, 25-19, 25-22, 16-25, 25-13, on Saturday afternoon at the McArthur Center.

Barry claimed the opening two frames before Eckerd answered emphatically in the third. The Tritons held the Buccaneers to a -.088 hitting percentage in the frame while using their serve and block to take control.

After dropping the first two frames, Eckerd fell behind 7-3 early in the third before climbing back. A Peyton Walker and Jaiden Harris block tied the set at 8-8 before an Elayna Rickmon ace gave the Tritons their first lead. The teams traded points through a 13-13 tie before Eckerd broke the frame open with seven of the next eight points. Grace Dumont delivered a kill, Seiler Hruska followed with an ace, and Hayden Nash added a block during the stretch as the Tritons surged ahead 20-14.

Nash later put Eckerd ahead 21-15 with a kill, while Rickmon's ensuing service turn helped stretch the advantage to 23-15, highlighted by a Harris and Walker block. Harris delivered set point with a kill before Eckerd closed the 25-16 victory on a Barry attack error.

Barry responded in the fourth, using an extended run to build a 13-5 advantage before closing out the match.

Hruska paced the Tritons with 14 kills, five aces, and 10 digs. Nash added eight kills on a .333 hitting percentage, while Harris registered seven kills at a .353 clip and three blocks. Dumont dished out 26 assists to go with six kills and two aces, while Sydney Williams led the back row with 16 digs. Eckerd finished with 12 service aces compared to six for Barry.

Eckerd returns to action on Friday, to take on Rollins on the road.