Box Score DAYTONA BEACH - In a match-up between two undefeated teams here Saturday afternoon, Florida Southern was able to outlast Embry-Riddle en route to posting a hard-fought four set win over the Eagles (26-24, 29-27, 23-25, 28-26) at the ICI Center.
The ninth-ranked Moccasins improved to 10-0 on the season with the win and extended its non-conference regular season win streak to 15 straight matches since falling to Regis last season in the Colorado Premier Challenge. The 10-0 start to the season is the fifth in school history and first since 1990 when the Mocs opened the season winning its first 32 matches to open the season. Embry-Riddle fell to 8-1 on the year with the setback.
Saturday's match was an evenly-contested affair as it featured 32 ties and 14 lead changes, including a combined 13 ties and 11 lead changes in the opening two sets. The two teams also combined for 124 kills, 220 digs, 19 blocks and 12 aces in the match that lasted nearly two-and-a-half hours.
FSC finished the match with a season high 68 kills, but finishing hitting under .200 for the second straight match as they hit .198 in Saturday's match after hitting a season low .152 in Friday's three-set sweep at Rollins.
Senior middle blocker Kayshia Brady (Welaka, Fla.) was one of four Mocs to finish with double-digit kills as she recorded a season high 19, including a combined 13 kills in the second and fourth sets and hit a team best .350. In addition to Brady, sophomore outside hitter Anna Tovo (Aiken, S.C.) and junior outside hitter Brindl Langley (Camas, Wash.) each had double-doubles for the match as they each had 13 kills and combined for 34 digs as Tovo recorded a career-high 19 digs and Langley added 15 digs in the win. Tovo's double-double was her team leading third of the season, while Langley posted her 13th career double-double effort and first this season.
The final Moccasin to post double figures in kills was sophomore middle blocker Allie Geary (DeLand, Fla.) as she had 10, added five blocks and hit .304 for the match. Geary had five of her 10 kills in the second set.
On defense, FSC recorded 109 digs, which is the fourth most ever recorded in a match in school history. It was the most digs in a match by the Mocs since recording 110 at Rollins on Nov. 15, 2013.
Redshirt sophomore libero Nicci Joyce (Farmington Hills, Mich.) had her finest match as a Moccasin on Saturday as she recorded a career high 25 digs and added two of FSC's four aces in the win. In addition to Joyce's 25 digs, senior right side hitter Kendall Marotti (LaBelle, Fla.) added a career high 21 digs and also had eight kills in the victory. Joyce had 17 of her 25 digs over the final two sets.
FSC's two setters, senior Lauren Shlemon (Tampa, Fla.) and freshman Bethany Besancenez (St. Louis, Mo.) each recorded double-doubles in the win as Shlemon had a career high 32 assists and added 10 digs, while Besancenez added 27 assists and a career high 15 digs. It was Shlemon's second double-double of the season and Besancenez's first career double-double.
Embry-Riddle jumped out to an early 4-2 lead, before the Mocs used a 4-0 run to take a 6-4 lead. The Eagles, though, responded with a 12-7 run to take a 16-13 lead. FSC would answer with an 8-3 run capped by consecutive kills from Geary and Langley to take a 21-19 lead. ERAU would score five of the next six points to take a 24-22 lead, before the Mocs scored the final four points, including capping the 26-24 set win with an ace from Marotti.
The Eagles jumped out to a 6-3 lead in the second set, before the Mocs scored three straight points to tie the set at 6. ERAU, though, would respond by scoring three of the next four points to take a 9-7 lead. FSC would use kills from Tovo, Geary and Langley to take a 10-9 lead, before ERAU answered by scoring eight of the next 10 points to take a 17-12 advantage. FSC would respond by scoring seven straight points to take a 19-17 lead. ERAU answered by scoring three of the next four points to tie the set at 20. After FSC scored four of the next five points to take a 24-21 lead, the Eagles answered by scoring three straight points to tie the set at 24. After the team's went back-and-forth trading points to tie the set at 26, the Mocs would score three of the final four points to cap its 29-27 win and take a 2-0 lead in the match. The Mocs final three points came on kills from Brady, who had six kills in the set.
Trailing 2-0 in the match, ERAU scored the first two points and led 3-1 when the Mocs used a 12-3 run to take a 13-6 lead. The Eagles, though, would rally as they used a 13-7 run to pull within 20-19 following an ace by Tamires Ferreira. FSC would respond by scoring two straight points to push its lead to 22-19. ERAU answered by closing the set by scoring six of the final seven points to seal its 25-23 win.
The Eagles jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the fourth set and led 17-11 when the Mocs used a 12-6 scoring run highlighted by three kills from Brady and capped by a kill from Langley to tie the set at 23. The two teams would take turns holding the lead untill the Mocs would score the set's final two points after ERAU had tied the set at 26 to post a 28-26 win. Langley ended the match with a kill, her fourth of the set.
ERAU, who finished with 56 kills and hit .160 in the loss, was paced offensively by 15 kills and 12 digs from Evelina Abdurakmanova, while Ana Pajic added 14 kills and 16 digs and Amanda Saunders had 12 kills, hit .265 and added 12 digs for the Eagles.
The Eagles defense was paced by a match high 36 digs from Sumerr Paxton, while Ferreira added 21 digs and 43 assists.
FSC will return to action next weekend as they return home to Jenkins Field House to celebrate the 40th Year of Moccasin Volleyball by hosting Lynn and Nova Southeastern in back-to-back SSC matches. The Lynn match is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, while the Nova Southeastern match is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26. FSC began intercollegiate volleyball on Sept. 29, 1976 with a 15-3, 15-2 win at home over Seminole Junior College. FSC, who was coached by Kathy Benn, posted an 18-16 record in its inaugural season.
