PENSACOLA, Fla. — Florida Southern College volleyball lost to West Florida 3-1 on Friday, falling 13-25, 25-27, 25-22, 18-25. Florida Southern finished with 44 kills and a .168 hitting percentage, while UWF totaled 54 kills and hit .269.
Florida Southern falls to 4-3 while the Argonauts continue their unbeaten streak at 6-0 overall.
The Argonauts scored six straight after
Whitney Mall's kill made the score 13-8, moving Florida Southern into a 19-8 deficit in the first set. The Mocs started with a Mall kill from
Tori Borton and a UWF attack error for a 2-0 lead, then went back ahead 4-3 on
Brielle Mullen's service ace.
Bali Coles and Mall added kills as FSC tried to keep pace through the middle of the set, but the Argos used another scoring push to widen the margin.
Elizabeth McDonald added a late kill while Mall and
Ella Kuosmanen combined on a block before UWF closed the set 25-13.
Florida Southern bounced back in set two starting with a
Catherine Sweeney kill from Borton, a Kuosmanen block contribution and kills from
Mel Garrett and Coles to build an 8-4 lead. UWF answered through the middle of the set, pulling even at 9-9 and later moving ahead 17-15, but FSC stayed close behind points from Mall, Garrett, Coles and Piktel. The Mocs reached set point at 24-21 on Piktel's service ace and had another chance after Garrett's kill made it 25-24, but the Argonauts scored the final three points to take the set 27-25.
FSC answered a 2-0 start by the Argonauts in set three with six straight points, including kills from Mall and Piktel and a block by Kuosmanen and Piktel, to move ahead 6-2. Mall, Piktel, Garrett, Coles and Kuosmanen added kills through the middle of the set as the Moccasins built advantages of 15-9 and 21-16. UWF responded with four straight points to get within 21-20 and later cut the margin to 23-22, but a service error and Mall's back-to-back late scoring plays kept Florida Southern in front to the finish.
Nako Sasaki opened the fourth set with a service ace and assisted a Mall kill for a 2-0 lead, and
Payton Nazzari later added an ace to put the Mocs ahead 5-3. UWF responded with four straight points to move in front 7-5, though Florida Southern kept working back behind kills from Piktel, Mall, Kuosmanen and Garrett, along with blocks involving Sweeney, Mall and Kuosmanen, to pull within 14-13. Garrett and Kuosmanen stopped UWF's later stretch with a block, and Garrett added another kill before the Argonauts' back-to-back aces made it 24-16. McDonald answered with a kill from Borton and a service ace, but UWF finished the set 25-18.
Mall led Florida Southern with 15 kills and 17.5 points while hitting a career-high .538 and adding four total blocks. Garrett followed up with 10 kills. Kuosmanen recorded a team-high five total blocks. Borton finished with a team-leading 16 assists and seven digs. Sasaki and Coles each totaled 13 digs.
Talya Sampson led the Argonauts with 14 kills and 14.5 points while hitting .414. Madalyn Mire collected 30 digs and added three service aces. Delaney Hanowell posted a team-high seven blocks, including one solo block, and added six kills. Gabi Moulton finished with 25 assists, 10 digs, seven kills and two aces.
Up next, Florida Southern faces Spring Hill on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 5:30 p.m. EST in Pensacola, Fla.
