MEMPHIS, Tenn. ? The Stetson volleyball squad pulled off a hard-fought win in its first match at the Tiger Invitational on Friday defeating Louisiana-Lafayette 3-2 (24-30, 30-24, 30-25, 25-30, 15-9).
“Everybody played well and really hard today,” said head coach Cheryl Carlson. “We decided after the fourth game we were not going to let a repeat of the College of Charleston match happen. We came out strong and lead the whole way.”
Stetson (5-5) took control early in game one carrying a 20-18 lead behind five kills and a .411 hitting percentage from junior Rebecca Orzechowicz. The lead would be short-lived as Louisiana-Lafayette proceeded to go on a pair of 4-0 runs to steal an early 1-0 lead.
The Hatters rebounded in games two and three behind the leadership of their seniors. The second game saw Stetson steadily build its lead throughout, and after taking a six-point lead at the 23-17 mark, ULL was never able to close the gap closer than four. Senior Karla Readshaw did a nice job directing the offense with 17 assists in the game.
The third game featured a .311 attack percentage and 22 kills from Stetson. Senior Beth Slabaugh and Orzechowicz notched five kills apiece, and senior Gina Iacona racked up four kills of her own. Readshaw picked up another 17-assist game to go along with seven digs in giving the Hatters a 2-1 advantage.
The Ragin' Cajuns (1-12) were able to stay alive with a win in game four. Amie Goodwin and Elizabeth Inman recorded five kills to lead ULL to the triumph and force a game five.
Stetson came out with a swagger in the final and deciding game as they out-hit Lousiana-Lafayette, .259 to .000 led by another seven kills from Orzechowicz. A 6-0 run mid-way through the game allowed the Hatters to cruise to their fifth win of the season.
The Hatters hit .180 as a team and received key kills throughout the match from Slabaugh, Orzechowicz and sophomore Sarah Sears. Orzechowicz garnered a match-high 20 kills, while Slabaugh recorded 15 kills and Sears picked up six kills, four assists, four digs and a pair of block assists.
Readshaw was stellar once again registering career-highs in assists (60) and digs (25). Iacona enjoyed another solid all-around game with 12 kills and four block assists, and junior Melanie Boyer notched 14 digs and also was consistent with her serves. Sophomore Laura Boyd was the fourth Hatter to notch double-digit kills with 13 and senior Rachel Miller also joined a quintuplet of players with double-digit digs picking up 17.
“Laura Boyd came up with some big blocks and digs for us,” added Carlson. “Everyone contributed to this win especially Rachel Miller who played well despite being sick.”
Louisiana-Lafayette was received a pair of 19-kill matches from Goodwin and Inman, and Goodwin completed her double-double with 20 digs.
Stetson will be back in action later tonight when the battle host Memphis at 8 p.m. EST.
