Daytona State Opens With Strong Opening Weekend

The Lady Falcons opened play at the Santa Fe Classic this past weekend with a nice 3-0 start with wins over Palm Beach State, State College of Florida and Santa Fe College.

The Lady Falcon's first match of the tournament was against an athletic Palm Beach State College team.  The Falcons won in 3 straight sets, fending off the Panthers in a very tight second set (26-24).  The Falcons were led in kills by freshmen, Hallie Huth, recording 9 kills on the match.  Alexis Thompson led the Falcons in attack percentage, hitting an impressive .300 on the match.  Bruna Avila added 24 assists for the Falcons, while Nicole Rodriguez led the Falcons in digs with 11.

Daytona State's second match up came Saturday morning as they took on the Manatee of State College of Florida.  The Falcons connected well in their match with Manatee.  Their offense was firing on all cylinders, as the Falcons hit an impressive .333 on the match.  Daytona State was led offensively once again by freshmen, Huth, who recorded 16 kills on the match hitting a dominating .556 attack percentage.  Freshmen, Derionah Abner, added 9 kills.  Abner also recorded an impressive attack percentage of .364.  Falcon libero, Rodriguez, led her squad defensively with 18 digs on the match.  Avila, chipped in 40 assists for the Falcons.

The final match of the tournament is always a competitive match up for the Falcons.  The Lady Falcons took on host, Santa Fe College.  Over the course of the last 6 seasons, the Falcons and Saints have seen many competitive match ups.  However, Saturday belonged to the Falcons as they took a commanding win over the Saints, winning in three straight sets.  Sophomore, Carla Hernandez, led the Falcons offensively with 17 kills, attacking at an impressive .308 clip.  Avila recorded 38 assists on the match and chipped in 5 kills.  Rodriguez and Hernandez led the Falcons defensively.  Rodriguez with 15 digs and Hernandez added 10. 

"I am impressed with how well the girls performed this weekend.  There are always nerves the opening weekend, it was nice to see them work through these initial jitters and turn it up a notch with their performances.  It was also nice to see different players produce and lead us throughout the tournament.  This versatility will help us as we advance through the season.  I am happy to see us open the season strong and hope it is a forecast of a strong season to come," commented Stegall on her team's performance at the Santa Fe Classic.

The Falcons will be on the road again Tuesday against a strong Hillsborough Community squad.