Lady Falcons Win Last Two to Advance Record to 8-2
With Daytona State's win against the Manatee of State College of Florida last night they advance their record to 8-2 on the season.
The Falcons took on Palm Beach State College on the road Saturday in West Palm. Daytona State dominated the match early taking an 11-1 lead in set one. However over the course of the set, the Panthers clawed their way back into the set, only to fall to the Falcons 25-20.
Set two mirrored the initial set, with the Falcons winning again 25-20. However, the Falcons faltered in set three after taking an early lead. Daytona State dropped the third set 23-25. Set four seesawed back and forth early before Daytona State took control of the match seizing the win 25-18.
Daytona State was led by Gabi Soto with 17 kills. Additional significant offensive contributions were made by Carla Hernandez with 13 kills, Derionah Abner with 9 kills, and Alexis Thompson with 6 kills. Bruna Avila commanded the offense with 46 assists and Nicole Rodriguez added 19 digs in the backcourt, leading the Falcons defensively.
Tuesday night, Daytona State traveled to Bradenton to take on State College of Florida. The Falcons again came out strong and commanded a lead early in set one, winning a decisive first set 25-16. Then set two the Falcons offense struggled to put the ball away, hitting a dismal .032 in set two. Unforced errors led Daytona State College to drop set two to the Manatee. With an improved attack percentage, .448, Daytona State took set three in dominate fashion, only to struggle to fend off the Manatees in set four, winning 26-24.
"I wasn't happy with the inconsistent play this weekend and last night. At times we demonstrated our ability to dominate the match, but faltered to maintain this level of consistent play. We have had some injuries that we have had to endure the past couple weeks that have left us with minimal options when players are struggling. It will be nice to get these players back on the court and increase our depth to better weather these storms when we are challenged to put a ball away," commented Stegall on the Falcon's wins over Palm Beach and State College of Florida.
The Falcons were led by Hernandez in their win over State College of Florida. Hernandez recorded 13 kills and hit .200 on the night, adding 11 digs defensively. Rodriguez amassed an impressive 22 digs on the night, while Avila recorded 44 assists.
The Falcons will be back in action at home Tuesday night, September 24th, as they take on College of Central Florida in their first Mid-Florida Conference match up.