Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Florida Southern College volleyball saw its four-match winning streak come to an end in a hard-fought, 3-2 loss to Sunshine State Conference rival Eckerd on Saturday at the McArthur Center. The Moccasins (7-2, 1-1 SSC) battled back from a 2-0 deficit to force a decisive fifth set, but the Tritons (7-3, 1-1) were able to hang on for the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Florida Southern and Eckerd traded the lead twice in the first set, which also feature five ties. The Mocs had the early advantage as they held a 13-7 lead, but the Tritons battled back to cut the deficit to two (16-14) midway through the set. FSC was able to put the Tritons on the ropes when it took a 24-21 lead, but Eckerd scored five-straight points for a 26-24 win in the first set.
• The Tritons controlled the entire second set, racing out to a 13-6 lead. The Moccasins were able to close the gap to four points (21-17) late in the set, but never really threatened as Eckerd took a 25-18 second-set win.
• Facing a sweep, Florida Southern responded by picking up a 25-20 victory in the third set. After falling behind 10-8 and calling a timeout, the Mocs responded with a 7-2 run to take a 15-12 lead and never trailed again as they earned a set win to make it 2-1.
• The fourth set saw 10 ties and five lead changes as Florida Southern fought to stay alive in the contest. The Mocs seemed to have the early edge when they took a 14-11 lead, but Eckerd reeled off seven-straight points to take a 18-14 lead and force an FSC timeout. Florida Southern responded with a 5-1 run to tie the set at 19-19. The Tritons had a chance to finish off Florida Southern with the score at 24-23, but the Mocs staved off defeat and were able to grab a 28-26 fourth-set win.
• The fifth and final set was competitive throughout, with neither team able to gain a sizable lead. The Tritons led 13-11 late in the set, but Florida Southern scored two of the next three points to make it 14-13. However, it was not enough as an attack error on the last play of the match gave Eckerd a 15-13 fifth-set win and a 3-2 victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Anna Tovo had 16 kills in the contest. She has recorded double-digit kills in 22-straight matches dating back to Oct. 24, 2015. She also added 19 digs and two block assists in the match.
• Just one day after posting a career-high in kills (13), Rachel Mostert bested that mark with 15 kills against Eckerd. Mostert also had five block assists against the Tritons.
• Brindl Langley tallied 30 digs in the contest to push her career total to 1,434. She currently ranks sixth in Florida Southern history in career digs and needs just 42 more to pass head coach Jill Stephens (1,475) for fifth in school history.
• The Mocs fell to 70-10 all-time against Eckerd. Florida Southern still holds a 31-7 edge in road contests with Eckerd, and is 36-3 against the Tritons at Jenkins Field House, where the teams will meet on Oct, 18.
• Bethany Besancenez finished with 52 assists in the match. It is the fifth time in her career that she has eclipsed 50 assists. Besancenez hit the 50-assist mark four times as a freshman in 2015.
UP NEXT
• Florida Southern returns to action next week with a pair of Sunshine State Conference road matches at Nova Southeastern (Sept. 23) and No. 19 Palm Beach Atlantic (Sept. 24).
