Volleyball Loses Two In Florida

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The UNC Pembroke volleyball team suffered back-to-back shutouts on Saturday afternoon in a doubleheader against Flagler and Florida Tech inside of the Flagler Gymnasium.

The Lady Braves (11-15, 2-9 PBC) were unable to take a set against the Saints (13-7, 9-4) or the Panthers (13-5), with Flagler winning in three-straight sets with scores of 25-20, 25-17 and 25-23, and FIT defeating the Black in Gold by scores of 25-22, 25-18 and 25-19. UNCP has never won against the Saints or the Panthers, as Flagler stretches its advantage in the all-time series to 13-0 and FIT improves to 6-0 all-time against UNCP.

In the first match of the day, Sabrina Gonzalez did her best to get the UNCP offense going, tallying nine kills for a .227 hitting percentage. Marissa Baker and Cecilia Brandon chipped in seven kills apiece to the Lady Braves' 35 total kills. Shekinah-Joy Toloumu led the way distributing the ball, finishing with 26 assists. Gonzalez and Danielle Brown carried the defense, turning in 16 digs and 10 digs, respectfully. At the net, the Black and Gold recorded five team blocks, with Caroline Pridgen earning three block assists.

The Saints were led by the strong hitting of Abby Meyers, who tapped in 13 kills, while Emilee Taylor added another 10 kills. Flagler won the blocking advantage, totaling 12 blocks on the day.

The Lady Braves took a 9-6 lead over Flagler after Gonzalez and Morgan Westphal contributed to a 5-1 run, but Caitlyn Kovach helped the Saints to pull ahead following six-consecutive points. Flagler maintained its lead the rest of set, using a kill from Taylor for set point. Flagler dominated the second frame, leading the entire way, and despite a last-ditch effort by Baker and the Lady Braves, the Saints earned the second set point on a kill from Meyers. The Lady Braves played the Saints tough in the final set, a serving run from Toloumu tied the match a 21-21 and a kill from Gonzalez gave UNCP a 23-22 lead. Flagler would collect the next three points behind the serving of Meyers and close out the match with a Jenea Reddick kill.

Gonzalez and Pridgen paced the UNCP attack against FIT, notching nine kills apiece. Toloumu once again kept the hitters active, churning out 31 assists, while Brown garnered a team-best 16 digs. UNCP was active at the net for the second-straight match, finishing with six blocks, including one solo block apiece from Westphal and Pridgen.

Charlie French and Marilyn Dick set the tempo for the Panthers offense, combining for more than half of FIT's kills. Ashtin Truesdale dished out 37 assists and Angie Lassman contributed a match-high 19 digs to the Panthers' winning effort.

Set one was a back-and-fourth battle that saw several ties and numerous lead changes. The Pathers pulled ahead with two consecutive kills from French, earning the first set point on a kill from Dick. In the second set, UNCP started out on top with the help of a powerful offense, but Lassman sparked a surge in the Panthers' offense and a four-point run would give FIT a 14-9 advantage. The Panthers led the remainder of the way and another kill from Dick would gain second-set point. FIT dominated the final set, jumping out to a 9-2 lead following an early run from Cheyanne Kauffman. Pridgen brought the Black and Gold within one, 11-10, after serving five-consecutive points, but the Panthers remained on top, claiming match point after a UNCP attack error.

The Lady Braves will look to rebound when they return to the court on Friday in a Peach Belt Conference contest with USC Aiken (13-7, 6-4) at 7 p.m. inside of the English E. Jones Center in Pembroke.