Rollins Paced by McDonough's New Season High of 26 Kills
LAKELAND, Fla. (November 4, 2017) – Paced behind Shannon McDonough's second straight match with over 20 kills, the Rollins Tars were unable to halt a streaking Florida Southern squad on Saturday afternoon in the Jenkins Field House. The Tars put up a fight, but the Mocs, who picked up their 13th consecutive victory, came out on top 3-1 (9-25, 22-25, 25-22, 23-25).
The loss drops the Tars to a mark of 8-16, and 5-12 in Sunshine State Conference action, while the Mocs, who entered into the afternoon after a big 3-0 victory over No. 6 Palm Beach Atlantic the previous evening, advance to 20-6 overall, and 14-1 in SSC play.
McDonough notched yet another season best, earning a match best 26 kills as she hit .310 on the afternoon. Cassidy Cason amassed 40 of the Tars' 50 assists on the day, while adding three kills and 10 digs to her stat line. Madison Jenkins notched a new career best for digs in a game with 16, besting her previous high of 15 originally posted on October 27 against Eckerd. Jenkins added nine kills on the day, while putting up one block. Rebecca Wilson earned 14 digs of her own, followed by Rachel Fletcher with 12. At the net, the Tars put up a total of 15 blocks on the day, led by McDonough with four, including the team's lone solo block of the afternoon. Fletcher and Kerra Tirado put up three blocks of their own, followed by Sam Schlesman with two.
The Mocs were led by Anna Tovo, who earned 20 kills on the afternoon, followed by Nicole Mattson with 18, Sydney Marshall with 11, and Allie Geary with 10. Bethany Besancenez dished out a match high 54 assists, while adding 10 digs for a double-double. Gabby Fresh led the squad with 19 digs of her own, followed by Mattson with 15, and Tovo with 13. Florida Southern posted six total blocks as a team, led by Tovo with two, including a solo block.
COACH ROBINSON'S THOUGHTS:
"After a rough first set, I was really pleased with how hard we battled in sets 2-4, particularly after a hard fought five set match last night."
NOTES:
- The Mocs have now won 13 straight matches this season, including a victory over No. 6 Palm Beach Atlantic on Friday night. With their wins this weekend, the Mocs move into sole possession of first place in the Sunshine State Conference standings.
- Rollins and Florida Southern have matched up 97 times since their first meeting on October 13, 1976. The Mocs lead the all-time series, 89-8.
- Last time out against the Mocs, the Tars put up a good fight, but fell in straight sets, (20-25, 23-25, 23-25).
- McDonough notched a new season high in kills with 26, marking her second straight game with 20+ kills, and her 21st match this season with double-digit kills. The senior was just two kills away from matching her career high of 28 set on September 14, 2016 against Flagler.
- Madison Jenkins earned a new career best in digs with 16
NEXT UP:
- Date: Friday | November 10, 2017
- Opponent: Nova Southeastern
- Location: Warden Arena | Winter Park, Fla.
- Time: 7:00 p.m.
- Coverage: VIDEO | LIVE STATS
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