ST. PETERSBURG  – The Eckerd volleyball team fell to Florida Southern by a score of 3-1 on Tuesday night at the McArthur Center.

Eckerd opened the match strong, building a 7-3 lead in the first set before later stretching the margin to 14-9 behind an Elayna Rickmon service run that included an ace and a Peyton Walker kill. Florida Southern worked its way back into the frame, eventually tying it at 15-15 before closing late for a 25-22 win.

The second set stayed tight throughout. Eckerd erased a late deficit with a Jaelynn Tunley kill to tie the frame at 20-20, then Jaiden Harris stepped to the service line and helped the Tritons surge ahead 23-20, including an ace and a Hayden Nash kill during the run. Florida Southern answered and edged Eckerd 28-26 after the Tritons held late leads of 25-24 and 26-25.

The Tritons responded in a big way in the third. Trailing 15-12, Harris fueled another run at the service line and sparked an eight-point surge, turning a three-point deficit into a 20-15 advantage. Harris fired two aces during the stretch, while Nash added three kills as Eckerd seized control. The Tritons carried the momentum to a 25-18 set victory.

Florida Southern regained control in the fourth, jumping ahead 10-4. Eckerd trimmed the deficit to three at 14-11, but the Moccasins pulled away late for a 25-18 win to close the match.

Nash and Tunley paced the Tritons with nine kills apiece, while Nash added eight total blocks. Walker finished with seven kills on a .375 hitting percentage. Grace Dumont dished out 24 assists to go with eight digs, while Sydney Williams led the back row with 15 digs. Harris finished with three service aces and four total blocks.

Eckerd will be back in action Friday to host Florida Tech at the McArthur Center.