The Stetson volleyball team (7-13, 2-5 Atlantic Sun) took a 2-1 lead tonight against conference rival USC Upstate at the Edmunds Center but ended up falling in five games to the Spartans. Game scores were 30-22, 22-30, 21-30, 30-27 and 15-12.
The fifth game saw Stetson briefly pull ahead 5-4 but the Spartans would soon come back and take an 8-7 lead. USC Upstate would not relinquish that advantage and claimed its first conference victory as a Division I member.
The Hatters seemed poised to take the victory in the fourth game when they tied the score at 21 on a kill by senior outside hitter Beth Slabaugh (Dearborn, Mich.), but the visiting team scored nine of the last 15 points to stay one step ahead of Stetson.
Hatters outside hitter Rebecca Orzechowicz (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep HS), a junior, had a season-high 21 kills, adding 13 digs for her fourth double-double in the last five matches and the 11th time this year. Senior middle blocker Gina Iacona (Boca Raton, Fla./Spanish River HS) had 14 kills while sophomore right side Sarah Sears (Ashburn, Va.) added nine kills and a .391 hitting percentage.
Senior setter Karla Readshaw (Huntington Beach, Calif.) led Stetson's passing and defensive efforts with 61 assists and 19 digs. Junior libero Melanie Boyer (New Holland, Ill.) contributed 14 digs and Slabaugh added 10 of her own. The Hatters hit .216 as a team.
The Spartans (7-13, 1-6 A-Sun) were paced by Jesicah Ambrisco's 19 kills and .341 hitting percentage and Jovana Lubura's 18 kills and .349 percentage. Libero Megan Healey led all players in the match with 21 digs.
The Hatters will attempt to snap their five-match losing streak Saturday, Oct. 20 when they host Jacksonville at the Edmunds Center in the final home conference match of the 2007 season. Game time is set for 5 p.m.
