SCHEDULE:
Friday, Sept. 16 | away at Florida
Tech - 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 17 | home vs. Embry-Riddle
- 4 p.m.
COVERAGE:
Friday: WATCH l LISTEN l LIVE
STATS
Saturday: WATCH l
LISTEN l
LIVE STATS
SETUP:
Entering into Sunshine State Conference play riding a six match
win streak the Rollins volleyball team is set for a back-to-back
matches this weekend. The Tars take to the road to take on Florida
Tech in a Friday night matchup, and return home to host
Embry-Riddle in a 4 p.m. showdown on Saturday.
WHO TO WATCH:
Rollins: After eight matches, Shannon
McDonough leads the Tars with 135 kills on the season. The
junior averages 4.82 per set, and has amassed 329 total attempts so
far this season. McDonough, who currently leads the Sunshine State
Conference in kills, earned a new career high in kills in a match
against Flagler with 28, and digs with 24. The double-double
marked her fourth of the season. On McDonough's heels is classmate
Bri
Civiero, who has earned 128 kills on 363 total attempts,
averaging 4.41 kills per set. Against Flagler, the Mount Dora,
Fla. native earned her second-straight double-double and notched
her fourth-consecutive match with 20+ kills. Freshman Cassidy
Cason, who is third in the SSC in assists, shoulders the
setting duties so far for the Tars, and has earned a team high 319
assists so far this season, averaging 11.0 per set. Junior Rebecca
Wilson, who is currently fourth in the SSC in digs, leads the
team in service aces with nine, and leads the team in digs with 143
on the season, averaging 4.93 per set. At the net, MaryBethany
Vincent leads the team in total blocks with 23, while Sam
Schlesman and McDonough have earned 20 apiece. Schlesman,
Civiero, and Kerra
Tirado have each earned a team high three solo blocks.
Head Coach Mika
Robinson took over the Tars program in February and has aligned
Rollins for success this season. She was head coach at Berry
College the past eight seasons, amassing a record of 169-88 with
three conference championships and to NCAA Division III Tournament
berths.
Florida Tech: Leading Florida Tech in kills is
Olivia Hersey with 65, averaging 2.41 per set. Behind Hersey is
Kelly Germain with 59 kills on the season, followed by Jenna
Schaffer with 53. The Panthers' primary setter is Kiersten Rosa,
who has earned 201 assists on the season, averaging 7.44 per set.
Becca Bower, who is currently fifth in the SSC in digs, leads the
team in digs with 130 with an average of 4.81 per set. Hersey
leads the team in overall blocks with 22.0.
Now in her fifth season with the Panthers, head coach Amy
O'Brien wrapped up her fourth season at the helm of FIT with a
13-16 overall and 4-12 mark in the SSC. O'Brien holds onto a
career record of 53-66, and 16-48 within the SSC. Under her
tutelage at FIT, she has coached one First Team All-SSC player, one
Honorable Mention All-SSC player, one Freshman All-SSC selection,
and one Daktronics All-South Region Second Team honoree.
Embry-Riddle: The Eagles are led by Asya Oguz
and Paola Virella with 61 and 60 kills, respectively. Oguz
averages 2.35 per set, while Virella has earned an average of
2.22. Embry-Riddle is led in assists by Jordan Nakayama with 159
so far this season, averaging 5.89 per set. Maile Spenser leads
the team with 150 digs, earning an average of 5.56 per set. In
total blocks, Amanda Saunders has posted a team high 33.0, followed
by Laina Blanton with 28.0 and McKenna James with 25.0.
Embry-Riddle is led by Joslynn Gallop, who is in her
12th season with the Eagles. The third head coach in
the 21-year history of volleyball at ERAU, Gallop has charted a
256-112 record in her first 11 seasons.
NOTES:
Rollins enters into Wednesday's home opener riding a six-match
win streak. The Tars' only two losses of the season have come at
the hands of Top-25 teams; then 14th-ranked Alaska
Anchorage, as well as then No. 19 University of Arkansas - Fort
Smith. Rollins most recently earned a 3-1 win over Flagler College
in their home opener on Wednesday evening.
With an overall mark of 2-6 entering into Friday night's SSC
opener, the Florida Tech Panthers are on a six match skid. The
Panthers opened up the season with back-to-back wins at home,
before dropping six straight. Most recently, Florida Tech dropped
a 3-1 decision to Embry-Riddle on Tuesday, Sept. 13. The Panthers
are currently 2-1 on their home court in the Clemente Center.
Saturday's match marks the 12th time the Tars and
Embry-Riddle Eagles will square off on the court. The Eagles lead
the overall series 7-4, but the Tars took the last meeting with 3-1
(25-23, 25-23, 17-25, 25-20) on Nov. 3, 2015. The Eagles are
currently 5-3 on the season and most recently picked up a 3-1
(25-11, 26-28, 25-16, 25-15) victory over Florida Tech.
NEXT:
The Tars return to action on Friday Sept. 23, when they travel
to Saint Leo University to take on the Lions in SSC play. Match
time against the Lions is slated for 7 p.m. in the Marion Bowman
Activities Center. Fans will be able to find links to live
coverage on RollinsSports.com.
Fans can follow Tars volleyball all season long with live audio
and video on the Geico Tars Sports Network at RollinsSports.com,
where the latest news, updates, and information on the Rollins
volleyball team can also be accessed. Fans can also stay
up-to-date on the latest #TARnation news by following Rollins
Sports on Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram.
