Stetson Volleyball Sweeps USC Upstate on Senior Day

Volleyball SeniorDayThe Stetson volleyball team celebrated Senior Day with a 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-18) victory over USC Upstate Sunday afternoon at the Edmunds Center.

Madison Akins posted 10 kills without committing an error as the Hatters (16-10, 7-5 Atlantic Sun) completed a season sweep over the Spartans (10-18, 1-11).

Stetson finished the 2014 home schedule with a 6-2 mark.

“We started out a little slow, but we picked it up towards the end of the first set, and that momentum carried over through the rest of the match,” Stetson head coach Kristina Hernandez said.  “I am really happy to see us switch directions when we are struggling, especially at this point in the season.  It was a great way to end our home schedule before we get back on the road.”

Defense and blocking was the story of the match as Stetson picked up 71 digs in just three sets.  Alexa Drost led the team once again with 21 digs, while McKenna Foster (14 digs), Kayla Weller (12 digs), and Akins (11 digs) also recorded double-digit dig totals.

The Hatters also collected 12 blocks, including two solos and five assists by Shelby Connors.  The freshman middle surpassed 100 total blocks on the season.

Weller totaled 27 assists to complete her 11th double-double of the season.  Akins notched her seventh double-double.

Seniors Erika White and Morgan Pautsch were both honored before the match.  Pautsch finished the match with one kill, one block, and one assist, while White registered six kills, four digs, three blocks, and three assists.

Stetson will need one more victory to secure the No. 3 seed for the conference tournament.  The Hatters will visit Jacksonville and North Florida next weekend to close the regular season.

GoHatters.com

by Jamie Bataille