DELAND, Fla. – Stetson Volleyball got back into the win column with a 3-0 win over a feisty Queens Royals squad Saturday night in the Edmunds Center.

"My expectations were higher than we performed today, but Queens played good defense today and did everything they could," head coach Yang Deng said "We just have to play a bit cleaner. Obviously, after we struggled for a couple matches, I expected that it may happen a little, so there are matches where you're down, but you have to regroup and fight through it. We had a few flashes [today] where we were really good with improved consistency with better passing, setting and hitting and it's that part of the game where we need to focus on those jobs and doing them consistently."

Stetson grabbed control early going up 8-3 after recording kills on its first seven points and an ace on the eighth. The Royals battled back, taking a 12-11 advantage as the visitors gained momentum. As the match remained close, the QU took a 17-16 advantage before Stetson rocked off six consecutive points in what amounted to an 8-1 run [24-18]. The visitors would not go quietly as they registered their own scoring streak of six. Sophia Groom and Elena Djokovic notched back-to-back kills to take the set 26-24.

Queens took the front foot in the second set going up 6-3 keeping the home side at bay and eventually expanding the advantage to five, 12-7. The Hatters tied it at 13 following a 6-1 run featuring a kill from Alexis Thompson, a kill from Anabelle Standish and a pair of kills by Groom followed by a block from Standish and Groom. The teams traded runs till Queens took a 22-20 lead. The Hatters took five consecutive points to close out the set, 25-22.

"I think just pushing through and being aggressive, not scared of being blocked because I know my team is behind me," Standish said about making a few crucial kills late in the second set including the clinching point. "Nyah [Molina] also gave me some awesome sets too."

Stetson pounded the ball to start the third set 6-1. The lead ballooned to 11-3 as the home side started to pull away and the match wrapped at 25-11 as Beatriz Vossen notched the final kill of the match.

SU notched 74 digs as a team over the three sets. Standish [13 kills, 16 digs] Djokovic [10 kills, 14 digs] and Nyah Molina [33 assists, 13 digs] all notched a double-double. Groom tallied 10 kills with three blocks, two solo.

"Since Wednesday and Friday, it was a shifting point for our team mentally coming back," Standish said about the win "It's like a rollercoaster, you have to go down before you can up. Moving forward from this weekend, this is a really good start. Overall team attitude and mentality had a huge shift between Wednesday and Today. Also Nyah's [Molina] setting was so consistent, she put us up. We took care of the smaller balls better and our serves were better."

The Hatters will enjoy a small break before hitting the road again, this time making the trip to Kennesaw, Georgia for a showdown with Kennesaw State on Friday before a Saturday matchup with Jacksonville State in Jacksonville, Alabama. KSU has not reported streaming information, likely to be on KSU YouTube, while JSU's match will be on ESPN+.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS (PDF). Get in on the conversation on social media by following Stetson Athletics on  Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channels: Stetson Hatters, Stetson Athletics and, for live events, Hatter Vision.