WILMINGTON, NC.- Stetson volleyball end their trip to Wilmington, North Carolina defeating UNCW while dropping the second game in their double header to Fordham.  
 
"We had a good start for the weekend for opening the season" said Head Coach Yang Deng. "The girls played hard and came a little short in the last game, but I'm still proud of how they played. We still have a few things to work on, but I'm happy about the performance for the first weekend over all."

Yesterday afternoon Stetson defeated Presbyterian 3-1. They won the 1^st, 3^rd and 4^th sets while dropping the 2^nd. 
 
Today the Stetson swept the sets against UNCW winning the first set 25-15, the second set 25-14, and the third set 25-20. In the first set the Hatters created sizable leads that saw UNCW use both of their timeouts. Stetson would then score five straight points to win the set. In the second set the Hatters went up 9-3 early when UNCW used their first timeout. UNCW then called a timeout again when the Hatters went up 20-10. The third set was more of a battle for the Hatters as both teams took turns leading the other when Stetson unleashed five straight points to tie the game at 18. The Hatters then didn't look back as those five straight points turned into nine. The Hatters finished the job as they swept the match against UNCW.
 
Sophomore Sophia Groom lead the Hatters in the game against UNCW with 10 kills while Nyah Molina led the team in assists with 25. The Hatters as a team totaled ten team blocks. 
 
After a short break Stetson then faced off in a five-set battle against Fordham. In the first set the Hatters were down 15-17 when Coach Deng called a timeout. Coming out of that timeout the Hatters rallied off five straight points forcing Fordham to take a timeout of their own. The scored stayed tight as Anabelle Standish earned the kill to give the Hatters match point to win 25-23. In the second set the Hatters started down 3-6 before scoring six straight points to retake the lead. The score would stay close once again, but this set went to the Rams 23-25. The third set started similarly to the second as the Hatters found themselves down 2-7. The Hatters couldn't get any closer as they lost the third set 17-25. In the fourth set the Hatters came out with a purpose, having an 18-10 lead as Fordham called a timeout. Stetson would end up winning the fourth set 25-16. The fifth set saw the Hatters fall behind 1-5 and then 7-12. After Coach Deng called her second timeout the Hatters rallied back making it 12-13. The Hatters wouldn't be able to score again as they would fall in the final set 12-15.
 
Four Hatters had double digit kills in the match against Fordham. Standish tallied 17 while Groom, Lily Mueller, and Amaris Carter made up the rest of the group. Molina one again led the team with 45 assists giving her over 100 for the tournament. The team would also tally 11 blocks.