Beach Volleyball April 07, 2017 Athletic Communications

Hatters Sweep Mercer and Coastal Carolina on Friday

Stetson now 6-0 in ASUN play

DeLand, Fla. -- Stetson improved to 6-0 in the ASUN and took over sole possession of first place in the league standings with a pair of 5-0 victories over Mercer and Coastal Carolina Friday at the Cooper Beach Volleyball Courts.

The ninth-ranked Hatters (13-10 overall) won 18 of the 19 sets played on the day plus earned a forfeit victory at the 2 seed due to a Coastal Carolina injury.

"I think we did a really good job in the wind today," Stetson head coach Kristina Hernandez said. "It was just as windy as it was last weekend (in Jacksonville), and I think we really controlled our side with the pass and the set which was a real good indicator of our success."

Stetson's 1 seed of Maggie Skjelbred and Samantha Harris had the toughest battles on the day, earning a 21-18, 21-16 win over Mercer and a 22-20, 19-21, 15-13 three-set victory over Coastal Carolina.

"I think we did a really good job of just staying focused on one point at a time,"Skjelbred said. "Sam was real consistent with her passing, so that was really good, and we worked really hard."

Also of note, Emily Carroll and Kaylee Anderson opened on a 15-1 run in their first set against Mercer (11-8, 4-1 ASUN), and Tiffany Creamer and Rachel Noble allowed just 10 total points in two sets vs. Coastal Carolina (1-9, 0-4).

Stetson, FGCU and Mercer all entered the day undefeated in ASUN play, but the Eagles and Bears each lost once giving the Hatters a one-game lead in the standings.

Stetson will face Mercer at noon and Coastal Carolina at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Hatters will honor their four seniors prior to the Coastal match.

vs. Mercer - W, 5-0

1. Maggie Skjelbred/Samantha Harris (STET) def. Tori Penrod/Emily Krogman (MER) 21-18, 21-16

2. Darby Dunn/Kristin Lind (STET) def. Emma Peel/Sophie Peel (MER) 21-12, 21-14

3. Emily Carroll/Kaylee Anderson (STET) def. Claire Waliczek/Danielle Faust (MER) 21-5, 21-15

4. Rachel Noble/Tiffany Creamer (STET) def. Madison Kerr/Demi-Shay Watchorn (MER) 21-13, 21-16

5. Sunniva Helland-Hansen/Carly Perales (STET) def. Gretja Otten/Morgan MacGilvary (MER) 21-16, 21-11

Ext. Alexa Richardson/Julie Varga (STET) def. Marina Chavez/Amber Gibson (MER) 21-12, 21-13

vs. Coastal Carolina - W, 5-0

1. Samantha Harris/Maggie Skjelbred (STET) def. Savovic, Natasa/Bishop, Tahleia (COASTAL) 22-20, 19-21, 15-13

2. Kristin Lind/Darby Dunn (STET) def. Cahill, Carla/Djuric, Aleksandra (COASTAL) 21-0, 21-0

3. Kaylee Anderson/Emily Carroll (STET) def. Boothe, Sara/Davis, Katie (COASTAL) 21-16, 21-18

4. Tiffany Creamer/Rachel Noble (STET) def. Lulic, Dora/Otto, Autumn (COASTAL) 21-6, 21-4