DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — KELLI FORDING's swings repeatedly found gaps in the defense and drove the ball to the floor for a combined 38 kills as the St. Edward's volleyball team bounced back with a pair of wins Saturday to split its four matches at the Bahama House Classic.
After an inefficient attack in both of Friday's losses, the Hilltoppers found their offensive rhythm Saturday, hitting .225 against Florida Tech and .265 against Embry-Riddle. Fording led the turnaround with 19 kills in each victory, hitting .429 for the day.
Game 1: St. Edward's 3, Florida Tech 1
25-20, 25-27, 25-22, 25-20
St. Edward's earned its first win of the season behind a balanced attack and a dominant performance from Fording, defeating Florida Tech 25-20, 25-27, 25-22, 25-20.
The Hilltoppers used an early 6-1 run to break a 7-7 tie in the opening set. CARRINGTON JAIMES provided four kills on six errorless swings, and MIA CLAY delivered the final point to give the Hilltoppers the early advantage.
Florida Tech responded in a second set that featured 18 ties, four lead changes, and a scoring margin that never exceeded three points. St. Edward's fought off two set points before Florida Tech escaped with a 27-25 win to even the match.
St. Edward's responded in the third, sharpening its execution down the stretch to score six of the final nine points, led by three clutch Fording kills in a 25-22 victory.
The Hilltoppers carried the momentum into their best offensive set of the match, recording 18 kills at a .306 clip in the fourth. Florida Tech stayed within arm's length at 20-19 before the Hilltoppers scored five of the final six points, ending the match on BELLA BRICENO's service ace.
Fording's 19 kills came on a blistering .485 hitting percentage, while Clay added 16. Jaimes provided balance through the middle with 10 kills on 16 swings. ALTHEA MORRIS orchestrated the attack, playing all the right notes with 47 assists and 10 digs.
GISELLE OJEDA anchored the back row with 27 digs, and LANDRY BAUGHMAN added eight kills on a .353 hitting percentage, doing most of her damage in the fourth set with four kills on .375 hitting.
Game 2: St. Edward's 3, Embry-Riddle 1
22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-23
St. Edward's recovered from an opening-set loss to Embry-Riddle with a backdoor sweep, defeating the host 22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-23 behind a strong presence in the middle from sophomore GRACE MCDONALD and a repeat performance from Fording.
McDonald finished with nine kills on .467 hitting and five block assists, while Fording matched her opening performance with 19 kills.
After Embry-Riddle took the first set, the Hilltoppers answered by hitting .250 in the second. Fording recorded five kills on eight attacks in the set, while KARA WYNN and McDonald teamed up for a block and recorded a kill apiece down the stretch to close the set, 25-21.
The Hilltoppers throttled the Eagles' attack in the third, holding Embry-Riddle to .071 hitting while keeping the hosts on their back heels with 14 kills at a .306 clip. Fording and Baughman led the attack with five kills apiece.
Embry-Riddle pushed back in a fourth set featuring 14 ties and five lead changes. The teams remained even deep into the frame before Wynn and Fording delivered consecutive kills to secure the Saturday sweep.
Fording hit .378 and added two block assists in the finale. Wynn added 10 kills on .258 hitting, while Baughman contributed nine. Jaimes finished with four errorless kills and three blocks, including two solo. Morris recorded another 47 assists, while Ojeda led the defense with 18 digs and served two of the Hilltoppers' five aces.
After opening the season with two straight-set losses Friday, St. Edward's won six of eight sets Saturday. The Hilltoppers more than doubled their offensive production from Friday, totaling 121 kills and hitting .245 across the two victories.
St. Edward's returns to action Friday, Sept. 4, at the Mountain Lion Classic in Colorado Springs. The Hilltoppers face Michigan Tech before meeting Lone Star Conference opponent Midwestern State.
