Box Score MIAMI SHORES, FL - Florida Southern College volleyball snapped a two-match losing streak with a thrilling 3-2 win over Barry on Saturday in Sunshine State Conference action. The Moccasins (16-9, 8-5 SSC) came back from a 2-1 deficit to complete the season sweep of the Buccaneers (13-10, 6-5).
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Florida Southern got off to a fast start as it grabbed a 25-22 victory in the first set. Despite the close score, the set was never really in doubt as the Mocs never trailed and led by as many as five points (16-11) midway through. The Buccaneers were able to get within one point (16-15) thanks to a 4-0 run, but were never able to overcome FSC's lead.
• The second set of the day was nearly identical to the first, but with a different outcome. Barry jumped on top early and never trailed en route to a 25-21 second-set win. The Bucs led by as many as eight points (23-15) late in the set, but Florida Southern was able to close the gap to just three (23-20) thanks to a 5-0 run. The Bucs were ultimately able to hang on for the win and tied the match at 1-1.
• In the third set, Barry raced out to a 10-3 lead and never looked back. Although the Bucs never trailed after going up 2-1, the Mocs were able to close the gap to 19-17 thanks to a late 4-0 run. With the score standing at 24-22 and Florida Southern serving, Barry was able to get a kill to take a 25-22 third-set win and a 2-1 match lead.
• The fourth set looked as if it would be competitive early on, as the teams combined for nine ties and four lead changes by the time the score was tied at 10-10. That's when Florida Southern would blow the set open with a 10-10 run to take a 20-10 lead en route to a dominant 25-12 win to tie the match at 2-2.
• The fifth and final set of the match was tight in the early going, but Florida Southern took control with a 5-0 run that turned an 8-7 edge into a 13-7 advantage. It was all the momentum the Mocs would need as they close out the match with a 15-10 fifth-set victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Florida Southern improved to 38-32 all-time against Barry, and swept the regular-season series for the 13th time in school history. The Mocs improved to 4-3 in five-set contests this year.
• Nicole Mattson had 25 kills in the contest, one shy of her career-high of 26. She has at least 10 kills in five-straight matches, and a total of 91 kills in her past five matches. She has recorded at least 10 kills in 15 matches this year.
• Anna Tovo added 15 kills to make it 38-straight matches with double-digit kills. She also added seven digs, two aces and a block assist.
• Brindl Langley tallied 28 digs in the match to push her career total to 1,768. She now stands in second place in school history in career digs and needs just 47 more to pass Sara Stewart (1,814) for the all-time record.
• Bethany Besancenez had 53 assists on the day to move to 2,006 for her career. She currently ranks 10th in school history in career assists and eighth in assists per set (8.92).
UP NEXT
• Florida Southern travels to Rollins for a 7 p.m. contest on Tuesday. The match was originally slated for Oct. 7, but Hurricane Matthew forced the contest to be postponed. The Moccasins return home on Nov. 11 against Embry-Riddle, before hosting Rollins on Nov. 12 in the home finale.
