Lady Tritons hang tough, extend streak in five sets

Eckerd College hosted its own women's volleyball tournament this weekend, the Eckerd College Classic. Fans at the Mac saw high-flying, hard-hitting action in the Lady Tritons' Saturday night matches against UNC Pembroke and Millersville on September 10th, but the one to watch was their 5-set thriller against the Sailfish of Palm Beach Atlantic University on Friday the 9th, a struggle that was hotly contested right down to the last few points.

The Lady Tritons came into the match with momentum. With the experienced leadership of 8th-year coach Courtney Draper, the team was off to a 3-1 start on the strength of a perfect 3-0 performance in last weekend's University of Tampa Classic after falling to Lewis University in their season opener. The undefeated PBAU Sailfish were perhaps even more confident, having defeated their first seven opponents of the season in straight sets. The ladies of Palm Beach Atlantic hadn't even been tested this season, but on this night, they were in for one heck of a scrap.

As the two squads took the floor, Eckerd's bleachers looked worryingly thin. It seemed like the driving rain was hurting attendance, but the girls could count on support from their fellow student athletes as the men's basketball team and the softball team were well represented and fired up for a classic. They would not be disappointed.

Eckerd struck first in the match, jumping out to a 14-7 lead en route to a 25-22 victory in the first set, thanks in large part to thunderous kills from Junior Taylor Whaley and Sophomore Lindsay Biggs.

While these heavy hitters grabbed the spotlight, Senior Hallie Ward was doing the hard work, playing the difficult libero position, which called for her to dig out the smoking spikes fired into the EC backcourt by Palm Beach Atlantic. Bravely diving on her knees and hustling all over court, Ward proved more than up to the job. Her lightning reflexes and sheer determination were on display early and often, and her 28 digs, by far the most of any player on either squad, would keep Eckerd in the match when it really mattered down the stretch.

The Lady Tritons were off to good start, but neither of these closely matched teams would be able to hold the momentum in this match. The Sailfish came roaring back in set two, handing the home team a humbling 19-25 defeat. The EC squad looked a bit flustered and made a few uncharacteristic mistakes, bumping a ball backwards and out of play and spiking another into the net. However, the team managed to regain some confidence at the end of the set, taking 8 of the final 13 points.

With the match tied at one set apiece, the Lady Tritons seized their advantage and took set three by the score of 25-18. This time, it was PBAU that looked frustrated. The Sailfish lost an early argument with the referee and had no answer for the deft touch of Senior Arianna Chinn, who had them diving hopelessly with her well-placed drop shots and wringing their hands over her perfectly placed laser of a spike to the back corner that froze their back line for an easy kill. Junior Olivia Fraser drew oohs and aahs from the basketball boys with a soaring spike, showing her athleticism with the kind of leap that makes for those oh-so-rare WNBA dunks.

Eckerd looked strong as more fans trickled in. The EC cheering section was getting louder and rowdier and the Lady Tritons' 2-1 lead in the match had them smelling sailfish blood in the water. But a quick victory was not to be. The Sailfish still had plenty of fight left in them. Sophomore Kaleigh Humphrey had her ninja booties on, rolling back to her feet after a diving dig, but even her cat-like agility couldn't save the point or the set for EC. The PBAU defense looked impenetrable in the latter stages, as spike after EC spike was bumped and then returned with a vengeance. The resulting 25-17 victory for the Sailfish was the most lopsided result of the match. A rare bright spot of the set for EC was 6-foot-tall freshman sensation Ali McAlvany, who chipped in with some huge kills to reenergize her teammates and fans. She would finish with a team-best 18 kills, showing the power and control that have Coach Draper excited about her future as a Lady Triton.

The women of Eckerd and Palm Beach Atlantic had played four hard sets, but their work was far from over. With the score all knotted up at 2-2, the match came down to set five, the rubber set. The rules dictated that the set would be played to 15 points. The EC fans would remain standing throughout, willing their lovely ladies to victory.

The Lady Tritons needed all the support they could get as they battled through a tough final set. The Sailfish looked menacing in the mid-game, erasing a 9-5 EC lead with frightening ease to tie the game at nine-all. It was time for a timeout. As Coach Draper rallied her troops on the bench, a little boy in the back row of the EC bleachers made himself heard over even the most enthusiastic student supporters, jumping up and down and yelling, "Let's go Eckerd!"