Tars Take Two

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (October 23, 2021) - The Rollins Tars snapped a losing streak on Saturday, sweeping both of their matches at the GSC/SSC Crossover. They defeated the Christian Brothers Buccaneers 3-0 in the morning, followed by another 3-0 sweep of the West Alabama Lions in the afternoon. The pair of wins moves the Tars' record to 5-16 on the year.

Game One

• After falling behind 3-2 early, Rollins used a six-point run in the first set to take a lead that they would not relinquish. After the Buccaneers broke the streak, Rollins then added six of the next seven points to cushion their advantage. The defense was locked in, limiting Christian Brothers to seven kills at a .030% while tallying four blocks. In addition, the Tars struck for 14 kills at an efficient .290% to keep the set out of reach, eventually winning 25-16.
• The second set was more of the same as Rollins gained points early due to multiple attack errors from the Bucs. In addition, the offense stayed hot with Andie Baldridge and Riley Spurlin each tallying multiple kills early on. The frontline wasn't the only group working for the Tars in this one. In set two, Jessika Linnemeyer, Charlie Durbin, and Lana Gerard served up five aces in the blowout win, 25-11.
• The Tars wrapped up the match with another strong effort in set three. With the game tied at one each, two Durbin aces along with two Abbie Tutor kills gave Rollins all the advantage they would need. The blue and gold would end up with 14 kills at a .444%, easily their highest in a set this season. Tutor, Gerard, and Baldridge all had multiple kills in the final set, which Rollins took by a score of 25-14.

As a team, Rollins smashed 40 kills against only eight attack errors for an attack percentage of .376. They also produced eleven service aces, and had six different players record at least one block.

Game Two

• The second game of the day was a bit more competitive. Rollins jumped out to an early lead with kills from Emma Begley, Andie Baldridge, Lana Gerard, and Riley Spurlin. A four-point run from the Lions knotted the score at ten, but the Tars were not deterred. Two more kills form Spurlin, plus a Durbin ace, grew the lead to 14-11. Following a kill from West Alabama, another streak from the Tars put the game out of reach when they scored five straight. They would eventually take the set 25-20, tallying 17 kills along the way. 
• The Lions were on the prowl in set two, leading by as many as four points at 10-6. Eight of the next nine points would go by the way of the Tars with a mix of kills, aces, and UWA attack errors, making the score 14-11. Linnemeyer then delivered three straight aces as she continued her impressive day from behind the service line. Rollins would go on to take the set by a score fo 25-15. The Tars were flawless on their attack, recording 13 kills with zero errors. 
• An attack error for the Lions started the third set and set a tone for the final chapter. West Alabama would go on to commit nine errors in the set, striking at  -.071%. Rollins took the lead and did not give it up a single time in the set. The Tars should have been playing poker with the amount of aces that they were serving up on the day, including six more in the final set. Despite only nine kills at the net, they would go on to win easily, 25-19.

Play at the net was the difference in the second game. West Alabama only managed 24 kills at .067%, while Rollins countered with 37 kills at .268%. Their 13 service aces were the most in a match this season.

The Tars will look to continue their momentum on Tuesday evening at home when they take on SSC foe Barry. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 pm at the Alfond Sports Center.