ERIE, Pa. – The Eckerd volleyball team cruised to a pair of straight-set victories on Friday, sweeping Clarion and Wayne State (Mich.) to begin the weekend tournament hosted by Gannon. Eckerd opened the day with a dominant 25-12, 25-17, 25-19 victory over Clarion before returning to the court in the afternoon to dispatch Wayne State, 25-19, 25-19, 25-22.
Eckerd 3, Clarion 0
Clarion jumped out to an early advantage in the opening set, but the Tritons quickly settled in and took control. Eckerd's offense caught fire as the frame progressed, hitting .440 with 14 kills against just three errors. The Tritons pulled away midway through the set and never looked back, cruising to a 25-12 victory.
Eckerd carried the momentum into the second frame, taking an early advantage behind a run at the service line. The Golden Eagles kept within striking distance, but the Tritons maintained control throughout the set. Eckerd held Clarion to just eight kills and a .049 hitting percentage in the frame before closing out a 25-17 victory for a two-set advantage.
The Tritons and Golden Eagles traded points through the early stages of the third set before Eckerd created separation. Clarion stayed within reach late, but the Tritons closed the door behind 16 kills in the frame, their highest output of the match, to seal the sweep with a 25-19 victory.
Hayden Nash paced the Triton attack with 12 kills while committing just one error on 18 swings for a blistering .611 hitting percentage. Seiler Hruska and Natalie Aniol followed with eight kills apiece, with Aniol hitting .250.
Grace Dumont directed the offense with 34 assists while adding five kills on a .300 clip and eight digs. Sydney Williams anchored the back row with a match-high 19 digs and two aces, while Jaelynn Tunley and Jaiden Harris each collected nine digs. Harris also added six kills and two aces.
Eckerd held a commanding advantage offensively, finishing with 41 kills compared to Clarion's 22 while outhitting the Golden Eagles .217 to .037. The Tritons also held Clarion without a service ace while recording five of their own.
Eckerd 3, Wayne State (Mich.) 0
Eckerd returned to the court later Friday and picked up right where it left off, using an efficient offensive performance to sweep Wayne State.
The Warriors scored the opening three points of the match, but Eckerd immediately answered with four straight points, capped by a Hruska ace to take its first lead. The teams remained close through the middle stages before Eckerd began to pull away. The Tritons' offense was nearly unstoppable in the opening frame, pounding down 17 kills with just three errors on 30 attempts for a .467 hitting percentage. Eckerd closed the set on top, 25-19.
The Tritons used their defense and serving to create separation in the second set. Eckerd forced 10 attacking errors and limited the Warriors to a .091 hitting percentage. Wayne State trimmed the deficit late, but Peyton Walker ended the frame with a kill for another 25-19 victory. Eckerd completed the sweep with a three-point win in the third.
Hruska led a balanced offensive attack with nine kills while also supplying two aces and three blocks. Nash and Dumont each added five kills, while Walker contributed five kills and a match-high four blocks. Williams once again led the Triton defense with 11 digs, while Kaitlyn Dohs followed with six.
Eckerd turned in one of its most efficient offensive performances of the young season, hitting .291 for the match while committing only 11 attacking errors.
With the pair of victories, Eckerd improves to 4-2 on the season. The team will be back in action tomorrow to face Malone and Gannon.
