CHARLESTON, S.C. ? The Stetson volleyball squad fell to Charleston Southern on Friday, 3-2 (14-30, 25-30, 30-26, 30-26, 15-10), at the CSU Invitational.
“We out-hit and out-blocked them, but the 12 service errors were our problem,” said head coach Cheryl Carlson. “We didn't do the little things that we did last weekend to win. We need to get more consistent at doing the little things and hopefully this will serve as a good lesson on what we need to improve on.”
Stetson (2-3) grabbed the first two games behind strong play from seniors Beth Slabaugh and Gina Iacona, and junior Rebecca Orzechowicz. Slabaugh and Orzechowicz racked up nine kills each while Iacona notched seven kills in helping the Hatters take a commanding 2-0 lead.
In the first game, Stetson consistently stretched its lead throughout and pulled away at the end for an easy victory. Sophomore Sarah Sears put an exclamation point on game one with a kill to finish it off.
Game two saw the Hatters rebound from a seven-point deficit only to climb back and gut out the win. Down seven, Stetson ran off a 6-0 run courtesy of some CSU miscues. The Hatters knotted the score at 23 on an Iacona kill, and took the lead for good on Slabaugh's kill one point later.
Unfortunately for the Hatters, the Buccaneers (1-1) rallied for wins in the final three games to earn their first triumph of the year. In game three, Stetson enjoyed a 16-11 lead, but CSU proceeded to go on a 6-0 run taking its first lead in the game. The Hurricanes pushed their lead out to as many as six points and the Hatters never recovered.
In game four, Stetson once again staked out to a lead mid-way through at 17-15. A kill from Ranae Popovich ignited a four-point CSU rally and gave themselves a lead they would not relinquish.
Game five was another nail-biter, but with the score tied at 10 the Hurricanes ran off the final five points to clinch the win. Stetson out-hit Charleston Southern .261 to .178, and the Hatters also enjoyed the edge in blocks, 16-10.
Stetson once again filled the stat sheet nicely led by Orzechowicz's 21 kills and 14 digs. Senior Kara Readshaw performed admirably once again picking up 47 assists to go along with 10 digs, and Slabaugh also garnered a double-double with 17 kills and 14 digs.
Amanda Hill had a monster game for Charleston Southern with match-highs in kills (22) and digs (22). Popovich registered 12 kills and 13 digs, and libero Tricia Rodl was the defensive catalyst with 21 digs.
The Hatters will return to the court Saturday, Sept. 1 with a pair of matches at the CSU Invitational. Stetson will take on conference foe Campbell at 11 a.m. and conclude the tournament with a 3 p.m. match versus North Carolina Central.
