DELAND, Fla. – Stetson Volleyball took a huge step toward a postseason berth by defeating Eastern Kentucky, 3-2, and taking the tiebreaker with the Colonels Saturday night in the Edmunds Center.

"I think Eastern Kentucky did a good job," head coach Yang Deng said "I knew coming into this game we had to be on top of our game. We talked about how to perform on our side of the court, we know how good we are, we just need to make sure our mentality is in the right place to fight in this game one point at a time. Throughout this match, we were focused on the defense with everyone focusing on their job, making sure every step of the way we have a good result coming back. Not everybody played a perfect game but we were good to stay in the moment and that's how we finished the game."

The Hatters and Colonels looked pretty even throughout the first set with SU building up an advantage slowly, eventually take the margin up to five, 18-13. The visitors stormed back into the set with a 6-0 run taking a one-point lead, 19-18. The Hatters immediately went back in front, but the teams battled to 22 each way. Stetson took three consecutive points from a block by Nyah Molina, a kill by Elena Djokovic and an attack error from EKU's Sarah Mitchell to snag the first set 25-22.

The Colonels took charge in the second set, jumping out to an 8-2 advantage. Stetson cut the deficit to two, 14-12, 18-16 and 19-17, but could not catch EKU as the match was tied 1-1 with set two going to the visitors 25-21.

Eastern Kentucky charged in set three, going up 6-2 early but the Hatters did not stay on the mat. An 8-1 Hatters run put the home side in front 10-7. The streak started with three straight kills in order of Djokovic, Molina and Alexis Thompson followed by attack errors by the Colonels. The visitors bounced back though with an 11-3 run to go up 20-16. The guests took the set 25-20, and a 2-1 match advantage.

With a big hole, the Hatters came out with renewed intensity. SU took the six of the first eight points capped off with Anabelle Standish and Sophia Groom combining to block an attack. Through tense moments the Hatters held off the feisty challengers [25-21] to force a fifth and deciding set.

While competition breeds motivation, both teams had an added want to claim the fifth set because it was almost a de facto elimination game. The final frame featured six ties and four lead changes as Stetson pushed in front 2-nil. Determined not to go quietly, EKU took the lead 5-4 as the set wore on. Stetson took the proceeding three points off a kill by Groom then a kill by Molina and an attack error from the Colonels' Maddy Campbell [7-5]. The visitors weren't done yet, taking a 9-8 advantage with Mitchell finding a back corner, an area she had attacked all night. Back-to-back kills from Thompson and Djokovic put the Hatters in front, 10-9, with EKU tying the match on the next serve. With the game down to five points either way and win by two, SU finished with a team effort, kill by Djokovic, block by Leilani Vitale, kill by Standish, attack error from the visitors and a kill by Vitale finishing the match off, 3-2, and set 15-12.
 
Four Hatters broke double digits in kills paced by 16 each from Djokovic and Standish. Groom notched 13, a career high, with Vitale knocking down 11. Four Hatters register double-doubles, Molina [39 assists, 24 digs] her second 20-20 of the year and sixth career, Elif Yasar [20 assists, 13 digs] and both Djokovic and Standish. Groom paced the team in blocks, taking part in five of the team's 17 recorded.
 
The Hatters with a firm grip on the final ASUN tournament slot have two matches left with one with each squad from the river city. Friday, the Hatters travel to UNF Arena for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Ospreys.
 
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.