Statesboro, Ga. – Absolute dominance! That is the only way to describe Stetson volleyball's season-opening victory over host Georgia Southern on the first night of the Bash in the Boro tournament.
 
After a back-and-forth opening game that went Stetson's way 26-24, the Hatters took command of the match with a 25-20 victory in the second game before closing out the match in impressive fashion with a 25-9 victory.
 
The Hatters (1-0) jumped out to an early 10-5 lead in the opening game against the host Eagles, but had to hold off the Georgia Southern squad. GSU battled back to tie the game at 20, and the teams matched points until senior Elena Djokovic's kill on an assist from sophomore Lauren Vargo put the Hatters up 25-24. Stetson took a 1-0 match lead on an attack error, earning a 26-24 set victory.
 
Stetson took a 3-0 lead to start the second game, but Georgia Southern hung close, keeping the score within two points most of the way. With a 21-19 lead, the Hatters closed things out with a 4-1 run that started with a kill by sophomore Leilani Vitale and included a service ace by senior Alexis Thompson. A block solo by Vitale gave Stetson game point which she followed with a final kill for a 2-0 lead.
 
The third game was total domination for the Hatters, who raced out to a 5-1 lead, coasted along until 8-4 before securing eight consecutive points for a 16-4 lead. Stetson coasted to the victory, finishing off the match on a kill by junior Anabelle Standish.
 
Stetson finished the match with a .270 hit percentage thanks to 30 total kills and just three attack errors. The Hatters also benefitted from a .081 hit percentage for Georgia Southern that included a whopping 28 attack errors and nine service errors.
 
Djokovic led Stetson with 10 kills, posting a .391 hit percentage in the match. Standish (9) and Vitale (6) also had their way with the Eagles. Sophomore setter Nyah Molina, the reigning ASUN Freshman of the Year, finished with a match-high 25 assists to open her season.
 
The Hatters will be back in action on Saturday morning for their first of their two matches. Stetson will face USC Upstate at 10 a.m. and then turn around to play Alcorn State at 3 p.m. Upstate took a 3-0 victory over the Braves on Friday to open its season in solid form.
 
There will not be video coverage of Stetson's Saturday matches.
 
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. 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.