ORLANDO, Fla. (Oct. 20, 2023) – The Rollins volleyball team earned a pair of 3-1 wins on Friday at the South Region Crossover tournament, knocking off West Georgia 23-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-11 before capping the day with a 22-25, 25-13, 26-24, 25-20 win over Montevallo. The Tars are now 12-9 overall on the season.
Lana Gerard provided the highlight of the day when she recorded a kill in the second set of the match against Montevallo, which gave her 1,000 career points.
RC 3, UWG 1
Jadyn Troutman led all players with 18 kills while
Emily Diaz added 12 kills and Gerard chipped in with 11 kills and nine digs.
Natalie Horsley had a match-high 44 assists to go along with eight digs, while
Adriana Lopez registered a match-best 18 digs as well as a match-leading six service aces.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set One
- The opening set was close throughout, with neither side pulling away to a lead larger than four points.
- A Jenna Garza service ace gave Rollins a 22-20 edge late, but the Wolves (11-8) closed the frame on a 5-1 run to win it, 25-23.
Set Two
- Set two saw more competitive action, with the largest lead being three points.
- A kill by Diaz tied things up at 20, and she followed that up with an ace, another kill, and then another ace, giving her four straight points and putting the Tars in front, 23-20.
- The teams then traded sideouts, with Troutman scoring the set-clinching kill to end it at 25-22.
Set Three
- The third set saw Rollins pull away late, as the Tars turned a 17-16 lead into a 25-18 set win thanks to an 8-1 run that included four service aces, two from Diaz.
Set Four
- Rollins started strong in the fourth set, quickly running out to a 10-2 lead.
- A kill by Makayla Moran increased the margin to 16-4, and the Blue and Gold ran away with it from there, winning the frame, 25-11.
RC 3, UM 1
Gerard tallied a match-best 17 kills, while Troutman added 13 kills and Diaz totaled 11 kills to go along with seven digs. Moran chipped in nine kills and a match-high six blocks (one solo) while hitting a match-leading .571. Horsley racked up 46 assists to lead all players, and Lopez registered a match-high 13 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set One
- The Blue and Gold fell behind early, trailing Montevallo (8-14) 14-9.
- A 3-0 spurt keyed by a kill and a block from Troutman cut the deficit to 18-16.
- Montevallo earned set point at 24-17, and although the Tars battled, winning the next five points to make it 24-22, the Falcons finished the job with a kill to win the frame, 25-22.
Set Two
- Set two saw Rollins go on a 9-2 burst to open up a 14-7 advantage, including Gerard recording her 1,000th career point with a kill that made it 13-7.
- The Tars didn't let up, closing out the frame on another 9-2 run to win it, 25-13.
Set Three
- The third set was tight throughout, but the Blue and Gold showed up big when it counted, winning six of the final nine points to turn a 21-20 deficit into a 26-24 win.
Set Four
- Montevallo held a slim 4-2 lead early in the fourth, but Rollins rattled off the next five points as part of a 13-2 spurt that turned the tide, giving the Tars a commanding 15-6 lead.
- A few points later, Rollins went on a 5-1 run to go up 21-9, and the Blue and Gold would hold on for a 25-20 win to clinch the match, three sets to one.
UP NEXT:
The Tars will wrap up the South Region Crossover tomorrow with a match at 2:30 PM against Valdosta State.
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