Box Score TAMPA - Florida Southern Volleyball saw its nine-match win streak snapped here Friday evening as the Moccasins dropped a hard-fought three-set match to seventh-ranked Tampa (27-25, 26-24, 25-21) in Sunshine State Conference action at the Bob Martinez Athletics Center on the UT campus.
The Mocs, who fell to 10-5 overall and 2-1 in the SSC, held leads in all three sets as Friday's match featured 35 ties and 11 lead changes. FSC had a 24-23 lead in the first set, before the Spartans, who were playing their first home match of the season, scored three of the final four points to earn the win and then in the second set, UT went a 6-2 run to post a 26-24 victory.
"It is tough to lose in three sets, but I was pleased with way we competed as a team," Mocs assistant coach Rob Koehler said following the nearly two-hour match. "We showed what we're capable of as a team and that is encouraging and something for us to build upon going forward."
Senior outside hitter Anne Pietkiewicz (Winter Park, Fla.) recorded 14 kills and hit a team-high .312 in the loss, while sophomore outside hitter Kate Stromberg (Lexington, Ky.) added nine kills and eight digs and junior setter Ali Skayhan (Beaverton, Ore.), who is the reigning SSC Offensive Player of the Week presented by VALIC, recorded 31 assists and 17 digs for her team-best ninth double-double.
"Anne really played well tonight. She has shown a lot of leadership this season and has really stepped when we've needed her," said Koehler, who is in his first year with the Mocs.
In Friday's match, UT (10-2 overall, 3-0 SSC) jumped out to an early 11-7 lead, before the Mocs used a 9-5 run to take a 16-15 lead following a kill by Stromberg. From that point, UT used a 4-1 scoring run to take a 19-17 lead, before the Mocs responded with a 3-0 run to retie the set at 21 following an attack error by the Spartans. The Mocs would eventually hold a 24-23 lead following another kill from Stromberg, before the Spartans pulled out the win by scoring three of the final four points to earn a 27-25 victory and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set was back and forth throughout as neither team would get ahead by more than three points during the set. Pietkiewicz, who earned SSC Offensive Player of the Week honors last week, stretched the Mocs lead to 6-3 following a kill. The Spartans used a 4-1 run to take their first lead since the opening point of the set. The Mocs wouldn't let UT grow on their lead by more than two points and stayed within reach. A service error by the Spartans would propel FSC on a 3-0 run and push the Mocs in front 22-20, but the lead wouldn't hold as UT finished the second set on a 6-2 run to post a 26-24 victory. Danielle Selkridge ended the set with back-to-back kills for the Spartans.
In the third set, UT jumped in front 7-4 early on, but the Mocs forced the fourth tie of the set at 10 following a block by freshman middle blocker Kayshia Brady (Crescent City, Fla.). Brady's block capped a 6-3 run for the Mocs. The Spartans, though, would answer with another run that gave them a 16-12 lead, before FSC used an 8-4 run capped by back-to-back kills from Fernandez and Brady to tie the set at 20. The Mocs could never wrestle the lead away from UT as the Spartans sealed the win by scoring five of the set's final six points to extend its win streak to four straight matches.
Tampa was paced by the play of Danielle Selkridge and Jessica Yingling, who each had recorded nine kills, while Meagan Burke added five kills and four blocks in the win.
For the match, Tampa recorded 40 kills, 61 digs and seven blocks, while the Mocs had 38 kill, 55 digs and four blocks. FSC also finished with a .153 hitting percentage and Tampa hit .176 in the win.
The Mocs will look to start a new win streak on Saturday as they host Eckerd (9-5 overall, 3-0) in a 4 p.m. SSC match at Jenkins Field House. The Tritons picked up a four-set win Friday at home over Saint Leo.
