DELAND, Fla. ? The Stetson volleyball squad ran into a stellar opponent in Florida International on Saturday at the Edmunds Center falling 3-0 (30-21, 30-13, 30-21) on day two of the Stetson Invitational.
“FIU is the quickest, most athletic team we have played so far,” said head coach Cheryl Carlson. “We played two quality opponents this weekend and this will help prepare us for the rest of the season.”
Stetson (4-5) came out strong in game one playing even with Florida International. With the Hatters clinging to a 13-12 lead, the Golden Eagles grabbed seven of the next eight points taking a five-point advantage. From that point FIU slowly stretched its lead never letting Stetson get closer than four points. FIU's Anita Symanska and Yarimar Rosa each garnered six kills in the game while Rebecca Orzechowicz led Stetson with five kills.
The Hatters were over-matched in the second game. The Golden Eagles used a 6-0 and 8-0 run in coasting to the victory. FIU's Olga Vergun notched seven kills in the game while hitting at a .667 percentage.
Game three was much like the first as the Hatters played right with the Golden Eagles for the first half, but FIU proved to be too deep and too strong for Stetson. Orzechowicz registered another five-kill game for Stetson, but the Golden Eagles once again used a late run to put things away.
The telling statistic was in the hitting department as FIU out-slugged Stetson .429 to .029.
Orzechowicz was the offensive catalyst for Stetson recording 14 kills while Karla Readshaw directed the offense with 19 assists.
FIU had three players record double-digit kills with Rosa leading the way with match-highs in kills (16) and digs (14). Symanska and Vergun each notched 14 kills while Keila Oliveira (34 assists) and Natalia Valentin (17 assists) split time at the setter position.
“We showed some pride in game three and fought hard,” added Carlson. “There were some great rallies and most importantly we didn't quit.”
The Hatters will return to the court Friday, Sept. 14 at the Memphis Invitational. Stetson will begin the four-match event with a 3 p.m. contest against Louisiana-Lafayette.
All-Tournament Team
Karla Readshaw - Stetson
Rebecca Orzechowicz - Stetson
Danijela Novakovic ? Oral Roberts
Jaqueline Oliveira ? Oral Roberts
Anita Szymanska ? FIU
Yarimar Rosa ? FIU
(MVP) Olga Vergun - FIU
