WINTER PARK, Fla. (Sept. 2, 2022) – The Rollins volleyball team opened the Rollins Invitational on Friday with a pair of matches, both of which came down to the wire. Unfortunately for the Tars, they dropped both contests in five sets. Rollins fell to Mississippi College by a final score of 21-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-15, 15-12, and capped the day with a 22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 22-25, 15-12 defeat to Charleston (WV), falling to 1-5 on the season.
MC 3, RC 2
Lana Gerard led all players with 17 kills and added seven digs and a pair of service aces, while
Emma Begley chipped in with nine kills and three blocks.
Milla Sherman had a team-high five blocks, while
Natalie Horsley dished out a match-leading 43 assists and
Adriana Lopez collected a match-best 18 digs.
Caroline Chastang led the Lady Choctaws (6-0) with 13 kills and Kendall Platt tallied 11 kills in the win. Lexie Laurendine finished with a team-leading 25 assists to go along with nine kills, nine digs, and three service aces, while Missy Beber picked up a team-high 16 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set One
- Rollins went on an early 5-0 run to take a 10-6 lead, and later used a 6-1 spurt to turn a one-point contest into a six-point lead at 20-14.
- Mississippi got back to within three, but the Tars were able to hold on for a 25-21 win.
Set Two
- The second set started similarly to the first, with Rollins going on a 7-2 run to take the lead, 13-12.
- This time, the Lady Choctaws answered back, eventually pulling away with a 5-0 spurt to take a 22-17 lead, and they would cruise to a 25-19 win from there, leveling the match.
Set Three
- Mississippi grabbed the first four points of the third set, and before long it was leading 9-3.
- The Tars battled, and eventually took a 21-20 lead on block from Sherman and Begley that capped a 6-1 run.
- The Lady Choctaws won the next two points and had a lead of 23-22, but Begley put down a kill to tie it and a block to take the lead, setting up an Andie Baldridge kill to clinch the set at 25-23.
Set Four
- Rollins jumped out to an early 6-3 lead in the fourth, but Mississippi took the lead with an 8-1 run to go up 11-7.
- The Lady Choctaws continued to pull away for the rest of the set, only allowing Rollins to score consecutive points once as they won it, 25-15, setting up a fifth set.
Set Five
- After Mississippi jumped out to a 4-1 lead, the Tars responded and eventually took the lead with a 4-0 run capped by a Begley kill that put the home side up, 7-5.
- The Lady Choctaws rebounded, going on a 7-2 run to earn a 12-9 advantage.
- The two sides traded sideouts for the final six points of the match, with the final sideout giving Mississippi a 15-12 win and a 3-2 match victory.
UC 3, RC 2
Gerard again led all players with 21 kills; she also added a team-high 12 digs.
Emma Rome and
Emily Diaz each contributed eight kills, while
Makayla Moran tallied seven kills. Horsley compiled a team-high 46 assists to go along with seven digs and Begley posted a team-leading five blocks (one solo).
Sage Bearnson tied Gerard with 21 kills to lead all players, while McKenzie Damon pitched in with 13 kills and Pia Selke added 10. Morgan Walter notched match-highs in digs (14) and service aces (8), while Maria Hernandez racked up a match-best 49 assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set One
- Rollins used an early 10-1 run to take a commanding 13-5 lead in the first.
- Charleston (6-0) fought back and eventually closed the gap to a single point (21-20), but the Tars closed it out with a 25-22 win.
Set Two
- Set two saw Rollins again use an early run, this time of the 7-1 variety, to take a 10-5 lead.
- The Golden Eagles immediately responded with five straight points to tie it at 10, and before long they regained the lead at 16-14.
- The Tars hung in there, pushing Charleston to the very end, but ultimately the Golden Eagles prevailed with a 25-23 set two win.
Set Three
- Charleston scored five of the first six points in the third and quickly ran out to a 14-5 advantage.
- Rollins chipped away, getting to within five late at 23-18, but the Golden Eagles took a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-18 victory.
Set Four
- The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair, featuring nine ties and six lead changes.
- Most of the lead-swapping occurred early on, with the final lead change coming on a 5-1 run that turned a 13-12 deficit into a 17-14 lead for the Tars.
- Charleston kept within three the rest of the way, but never could draw even or take the lead away, as Rollins tied the match with a 25-22 win.
Set Five
- The Tars jumped out to an early 3-1 lead in the fifth, only to see the Golden Eagles rattle off five straight points to take a 7-4 lead.
- Charleston held a 10-8 lead, from which point neither side was able to win a point on its serve, leading to the trading of sideouts for nine consecutive rallies, which allowed the Golden Eagles to capture a 15-12 win in the fifth to take the match, 3-2.
UP NEXT:
The Tars will conclude the Rollins Invitational with two more matches inside Warden Arena tomorrow. Rollins will face Belmont Abbey at noon before wrapping up the tournament with a 3 p.m. contest against Spring Hill.
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