VALDOSTA, Ga. (Sept. 7, 2024) – The Rollins volleyball team finished the Valdosta State Tournament a perfect 4-0 with two more wins on Saturday, sweeping the host Blazers before downing Converse 3-1 in the finale.
Rollins 3, Valdosta State 0
The Tars took care of business against the host school in the first match of the day, defeating VSU 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 26-24). The win put the Tars at 3-0, while the Blazers fell to 1-2. Gerard was the story, leading all players with 15 kills and adding 12 digs for her first double-double of the season; she also eclipsed the 1000-kill mark for her career in the match.
Natalie Horsley led all players with 34 assists and tallied 13 digs for a double-double, while
Adriana Lopez picked up a team-high 14 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set One
- The Tars took a quick 3-0 lead in the opening set, and before long they had extended it to 11-6.
- A 4-0 run pushed the lead to 21-14, and the Blue and Gold cruised to a 25-19 win from there.
Set Two
- Set two saw Valdosta State take a slim 5-4 lead, but Rollins quickly turned things around to go up 10-7.
- After the Blazers got back to level at 10-10, Rollins regained the lead and started to pull away, turning a 14-13 lead into a 21-15 lead thanks to two blocks and a kill from Jadyn Troutman.
- The Tars maintained a comfortable advantage as they won the frame, 25-20.
Set Three
- The third set was by far the most competitive, featuring 16 ties and eight lead changes.
- Neither side led by more than a point until a 3-0 spurt put the Tars up 15-12.
- Rollins had an 18-15 edge when VSU rattled off six straight points, giving the home team a 21-18 lead.
- Gerard stopped the run with a milestone kill, giving her 1000 kills in her career, while also snatching back the momentum to the Tars' side.
- After a Blazer point, Gerard put down kills on the next two points, helping spark a match-ending 7-2 run that lifted Rollins to a 26-24 win and a 3-0 sweep.
Rollins 3, Converse 1
In the nightcap, Rollins took down previously unbeaten Converse 3-1 (25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-20), improving to 4-0 while the Valkyries dropped to 3-1. Gerard again led all players with 18 kills and added 13 digs for her second double-double of the day, while Troutman chipped in with 10 kills and six blocks (five solo). Horsley tallied a match-best 33 assists and Lopez picked up a match-high 22 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set One
- Rollins jumped out to an early 6-1 lead, but Converse scored the next four points to cut it to 6-5.
- The set remained close, with the Tars leading 13-12 when an attack error sparked a 4-0 run that grew into a 12-3 set-closing run, giving the Blue and Gold a 25-15 win.
Set Two
- Set two saw the Valkyries hold a slim 4-2 lead before Rollins strung together six consecutive points to go up 8-4.
- Converse kept things relatively close throughout the frame, but ultimately the Tars never let the lead shrink below three points as they took the set, 25-18.
Set Three
- In the third frame, the Tars looked poised to pick up another sweep as they led 18-12 in the latter stages.
- Converse came to life with a 3-0 run, and before long things were tied up at 21.
- A Gerard kill briefly put Rollins back in front, but the Valkyries scored the next four points to win the set, 25-22.
Set Four
- Converse used a 4-0 run midway through the fourth to take a 13-12 lead, but a few points later a Makayla Moran kill ignited a 6-0 burst that put the Tars back in front, 19-14.
- The Valkyries tried to bounce back, winning the next three points to get back to within two at 19-17, but a Horsley kill stopped the string and the Blue and Gold held at least a three-point cushion the rest of the way, eventually claiming the set by a 25-20 score to win the match, three sets to one.
UP NEXT:
The Tars will head to Buffalo, New York next weekend to take part in the D'Youville Tournament September 13-14. Rollins will get things started with a 1 p.m. match against Ursuline on Friday, September 13, before battling the host Saints at 7 p.m. that evening.
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