VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Florida Southern College volleyball team closed out the non-conference portion of its 2024 schedule Saturday evening as the Moccasins closed out the South Region Crossover event at Valdosta State University by playing the host Blazers. FSC, led by seniors
Sandra Sasaki and
Zoe Lowe, put together its top numbers of the season to sweep the Blazers, 3-0.
With the victory, the Moccasins move to 6-2 on the season while the Blazers fall to 6-4.
As a team, the Moccasins posted a .280 hitting percentage, over 60 percentage points higher than their previous best this season. FSC also posted double-digit blocks in a three-set match for the second time this season with 12 versus the Blazers, surpassing the previous high of 10 versus Clarion.
Sasaki led the way Saturday with a team-high 13 kills on just 20 swings with only one hitting error for an outstanding .600 hitting percentage. The senior also added four digs. Lowe finished just behind with 12 kills on 23 swings with just one error for a .478 hitting percentage. Combined, the Moccasins two top hitters finished with 25 total kills and a combined hitting percentage of .535. Lowe chipped in three blocks including two solo stops.
Graduate student
Mackenzie Petermann along with seniors
Kiersten Kraus and
Madison Fowler all finished with five kills in the victory. Petermann and Kraus each added a team-high tying 12 digs while Fowler had a team-best seven blocks, all solo. Kraus picked up a double-double thanks to her 18 assists while also adding a service ace. Fowler also had a strong hitting night, finishing with just one error on 10 swings for a .400 hitting percentage.
Junior
Morgan Word led the way at the service line with a pair of aces while also adding five blocks including three solo blocks. Sophomore setter
Mary Kate Mulvaney added 14 assists, five digs and a service ace while graduate student libero
Caroline Chambers finished with 10 digs and five assists.
FSC held Valdosta State to a .077 hitting percentage as a team with just one Blazer finishing in double-figures with Jojo Smith leading the way with 10 kills.
Florida Southern jumped all over the Blazers from the opening whistle including scoring the opening five points of the match. The Moccasins eventually took an 18-8 lead following a 11-2 run which featured three kills from Lowe as well as two blocks from the duo of Lowe and Word. FSC would cruise the rest of the set eventually taking a 25-19 victory.
The second set was tight early but with the score knotted at 6-6, the Mocs began a 7-1 run featuring three attack errors from the Blazers as well as kills from Lowe, Fowler and Kraus. The Blazers battled back to cut the lead to just three late in the set at 19-16 but the Mocs responded with six-straight points to close out the set 25-16. Lowe provided a pair of kills in the run while Word posted a pair of service aces including the set clinching point. The other two points came off a kill from Petermann to start to run and an attack error from the Blazers.
Valdosta State came out fighting in the third and opened up a quick 6-2 advantage. The Mocs continued to battle and eventually used a 4-0 run to take an 11-10 advantage. The two teams traded the next two points before the hosts began a 5-1 run of their own. Trailing 16-13, the Mocs scored seven of the next eight points to flip the script. Sasaki provided four kills in the run while Word added a block and Kraus had a kill along with a service ace to give FSC a 20-17 lead. The Blazers immediately responded with a 5-1 run of their own to retake a 22-21 lead. The Mocs immediately tied up the set on a Lowe kill, but the Blazers were not done as they scored two of the next three points to earn their first set point of the night at 24-23. An attack error by the hosts knotted the score at 24 before Fowler provided her seventh solo block to earn FSC its first match point of the evening at 25-24. Sasaki closed out the match with her 13
th kill of the night at 26-24.
FSC will be back in action Friday, September 27 at 7 p.m. as the Moccasins travel to Saint Leo University for their Sunshine State Conference opener. The Lions are currently 3-4 on the season with a match tonight (Sept. 21) versus Florida College.
