WINTER PARK, Fla. – After capturing the
first two sets, the Rollins volleyball team was unable to seize the
victory as visiting Saint Leo rallied to claim the final three sets
to secure the 3-2 (20-25, 21-25 25-23, 25-19, 15-5) win, Sunday
afternoon at Warden Arena.
The Tars (17-16, 2-10 Sunshine State Conference) exploded in the
first set, hitting .394 as a trio of attackers, Nikki Hartman, Caitlin Vyborny and Stephanie Nichols, recorded four kills a piece in
the first frame. Despite their best efforts, the Lions' (26-8, 6-6
SSC) recorded a .220 hitting percentage, but Rollins' 15 kills and
only two errors, over powered Saint Leo.
Tied at 10 in the first set, Rollins made its move scoring on
three unanswered Saint Leo attacking errors. The Tars denied the
Lions' attempt cut the deficit, as Rollins sustained a minimum of a
three-point lead. After building the lead to six at 20-14 on a Phoebe Corder service ace, Saint Leo scored on
back-to-back kills from Kaitlin McKenna to cut the Tars lead to two
at 21-19. Rollins allowed only one point in the final five to
capture the stanza, 25-20.
After cooling off in the second set, Rollins was limited to a
.156 attacking percentage, but its defensive efforts proved to be
too much, as Saint Leo hit an abysmal negative .21. The Tars
tallied only nine kills in the set, but recorded seven blocks and
enjoyed 14 attacking errors by the Lions.
After the intermission, an exciting third set ensued that
included 12 ties and four lead changes. After falling behind 5-0,
Rollins had to muscle its way back to tie the match at six from a
Nichols' kill. The teams exchanged points before Rollins took a
three-point lead at 11-8. Saint Leo was force to come back as it
rallied off five-straight points to gain a two-point lead. Rollins
answered with a mini-run of its own, but eventually the teams found
themselves deadlock at 18.
More of the same followed as the teams exchanged points on
attacking errors, before tying the match at 23. Saint Leo then
relied on middle blocker Danielle Bletso for the final two kills to
capture its first set.
After hitting .333 in the fourth set and .533 in the final set,
Saint Leo's comeback was inevitable as it committed zero attacking
errors in the final stanza to claim match, while Rollins hit a
negative .095.
The Tars' Hartman owned a match-best 19 kills with 20 digs,
while Nichols also chipped in with a double-double of 12 kills and
15 digs. The Lake Mary, Fla., native, Nichols, now has 1,210 kills
during her four-year career, which places her sixth all-time.
After breaking the single-season dig record in Saturday's match
against Palm Beach Atlantic, Corder added 22 to her 628 season
total. She's now averaging 5.23 digs per set.
Senior setter Lacey Malarky recorded 45 assists, while Natalie Branche participated in eight blocks.
For the Lions, four attackers reached double-digits, with Bletso
and McKenna recording the highs with 16. Setter Michelle Nogueras
provided 54 assists as she was three kills away from recording a
triple-double. Saint Leo finished with a .192 attacking
percentage.
Saint Leo earned the season sweep as it defeated Rollins earlier
in the season, 3-0 back on Sept. 30.
The Tars return to action, Friday Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. for another
Sunshine State Conference match on the road against Tampa.
