Box Score LAKELAND, FL - Florida Southern College volleyball picked up a 3-1 win over visiting Eckerd on Tuesday to pull into a first-place tie at the top of the Sunshine State Conference Standings. On a night in which neither team hit well, the Moccasins (13-5, 5-2 SSC) used solid defense to avenge last month's loss to the Tritons (13-6, 5-2).
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The first set of the night featured nine ties and three lead changes as Florida Southern would ultimately prevail, 25-23. The Mocs were able to grab a four-point lead (10-6) in the early going, but Eckerd would rally to take the lead at 12-11. Both teams would battle back and forth until FSC went up 17-15 and forced the Tritons to take a timeout. Florida Southern would maintain its lead until Eckerd tied it up at 23-23, but the Mocs scored two-straight points to close out the first set.
• The Tritons were able to tie the contest by picking up a 25-19 win in the second set. The Tritons went up 3-0 and never trailed in the set as they built a 15-10 lead and forced FSC to take a timeout. The Mocs were able to battle back and cut the deficit to two points (20-18), but Eckerd scored five of the final six points to finish the set.
• Florida Southern would take the third set by a 25-23 final, but it was not an easy road as the Mocs had to overcome an early four-point deficit. With the score standing at 14-10 in favor of the Tritons, the Moccasins reeled off a 6-2 run to tie the contest and force an Eckerd timeout. The Tritons would score on the first rally after the timeout, but FSC would score three quick points to force another timeout. Eckerd eventually tied things up at 22-22, but the Mocs scored three of the next four points to take a 2-1 lead.
• The fourth and final set saw seven ties and five lead changes as both squads battled to extra points before Florida Southern came away with a 27-25 win. The Mocs built a 12-6 lead in the early going, but Eckerd hung tough and was eventually able to tie the set at 22-22. Florida Southern had a chance to put the match away at 24-23, but the Tritons scored two in a row to put the Moccasins on the ropes. However, a service error from Eckerd would give the Mocs new life, and two-straight attack errors gave FSC the match-clinching win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Florida Southern improved to 71-10 all-time against Eckerd, including 37-3 at home. The Mocs also avoided losing back-to-back home matches for the first time since 2011, and improved to 481-119 all-time at Jenkins Field House.
• Brindl Langley recorded 15 digs in the match to move to 1,625 for her career. She needs just eight more to move into fourth place in program history for career digs and needs 190 to break the school record of 1,814, held by Sara Stewart.
• Anna Tovo tallied 13 kills and 10 digs in the match. She has recorded double-digit k ill totals in 31-straight matches dating back to last year.
• Rachel Mostert added 12 kills and four block assists while Bethany Besancenez (15), Anna-Sofie Franke (12) and Nicole Mattson (13) each had double-digit digs. Besancenez also added 37 assists, while Mattson had eight kills.
UP NEXT
• Florida Southern will host Florida Tech at 4 p.m. on Saturday before traveling to Saint Leo on Oct. 25. The Mocs close out the month with a pair of home matches with No. 12 Palm Beach Atlantic (Oct. 28) and Nova Southeastern (Oct. 29).
VOLLEYBALL POST MATCH INTERVIEW VS. ECKERD
