Box Score PENSACOLA - Florida Southern concluded play here Saturday afternoon in the South Regional Crossover hosted by the University of West Florida by falling to the 19th-ranked Argonauts (24-26, 25-17, 19-25, 17-25) in four sets at the UWF Field House.
The loss, which was just the second for the Moccasins in its last eight matches, snapped its five-match win streak and dropped its record to 16-6 overall on the season, while UWF improved to 16-6 overall. FSC completed the South Region Crossover with a 3-1 record.
Against the Argonauts, the Mocs offense was held to an .097 hitting percentage as they committed 27 attack errors and had 45 kills, while UWF hit .159 for the match with 57 kill and 26 attack errors.
The match was a defensive affair for both teams as FSC had 89 digs and recorded a total of nine team blocks, including four in the final set and the Argos had 97 digs and a total of 14 blocks, including five blocks in the final set.
Sophomore Kayshia Brady (Welaka, Fla.) led the Mocs offense once again as she had 13 kills and hit .270, while senior middle blocker Dominique Hale (Kingman, Ariz.) added seven kills and hit .333 in the loss. For the four matches at the South Regional Crossover, Brady and Hale combined to record 77 kills and hit a combined .396 en route to both of them earning a spot on the South Region Crossover All-Tournament Team.
On defense, five Mocs recorded 10 or more digs, including junior outside hitter Kate Stromberg (Lexington, Ky.) posting a career-high 23 digs and added six kills, while junior libero Catherine Brusie (North Branch, Mich.) had 21 digs and freshman outside hitter Brindl Langley (Camas, Wash.) had 14 digs to go with her six kills.
Sophomore setter Kendall Marotti (LaBelle, Fla.) led the Mocs block party as she tied a career-high with five and added 34 assists and 11 digs for her team-leading 12th double-double of the season. Brady and Hale each had four blocks in the match.
The first set was the most back-and-forth of the entire match as it featured four ties and two lead changes. FSC jumped out to a 6-1 lead and led 16-10 when the Argos answered with a 14-6 run to take a 24-22 lead. Back-to-back kills from Stromberg and Langley tied the set at 24, before UWF closed the set with a kill by Lindsey Homme and an assisted block by Abby Timmer and Jenny Bellairs to post a 26-24 win and take a 1-0 lead in the match. The Mocs hit just .038 in the first set as they had eight attack errors and UWF recorded six blocks.
FSC would respond in the second set as they jumped in front 6-0 and led 12-2 when the Mocs used a 7-3 scoring run to push within 15-9. The Mocs, though, answered with an 8-3 run capped by a kill from junior right side hitter Gabby Fernandez (Tampa, Fla.) to push its lead 23-12. After UWF scored five of the next six points to push within 24-17, Brady sealed the Mocs win with her fifth kill of the set to tie the match at a set apiece. Brady and Hale combined for nine of FSC's 14 kills in the set.
Unlike the first two sets when the Mocs jumped out to an early lead, it was UWF that pushed out to a 7-1 edge and led by as much as eight points at 18-10 when the Mocs mounted a comeback. The comeback began with a kill from Hale and that began a 7-5 run to pulled FSC within 23-18. That would be as close as the Mocs would get as UWF scored two of the set's final three points to post the 25-19 win and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
In the fourth and final set, UWF jumped out to a 6-2 lead and led 14-6 when the Mocs used a 7-1 scoring run to pull within 15-13. That would be as close as the Mocs would get as UWF would score seven of the next nine points to extend its lead to 22-15. After kills by Brady and Stromberg pulled the Mocs within 23-17, the Argos scored the final two points of the set to post a 25-17 win and seal the victory.
Fernandez finished with six kills and 12 digs for the Mocs.
The one advantage the Mocs had in the match was in service aces as they had a 5-2 edge. Marotti recorded a career-high three aces, including collecting two of them in the opening set.
UWF was paced by 16 kills, 15 digs and four blocks from Maddy Lenzini and 15 kills and 10 blocks from Homme. Bellairs added 11 kills and hit .310 in the win, while Timmer had 26 assists and six blocks. For the match, six Argos recorded over 10 digs.
The Mocs, who are in second place in the Sunshine State Conference standings with a 5-1 record, will return to SSC action next weekend as they return home to Jenkins Field House to face No. 3 ranked Tampa on Friday, Oct. 25 and Rollins on Saturday, Oct. 26 to close out the first half of league play.
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