ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - - The Wilmington University volleyball team took the first set on the final day of the Eckerd College Invitational but dropped matches to Florida Tech and West Liberty to close out the team's time in Florida.
Set scores against Florida Tech were 25-19, 15-25, 21-25, and 15-25.
Set scores against West Liberty were 25-13, 25-16, and 25-22.
Match vs. Florida Tech:
Despite falling behind, 7-1, in the opening game against the Panthers, the Wildcats (0-4) fought back and eventually tied the set, 13-13. Now down two points, a 4-0 spurt backed by a Heather Pedrick ace and a Jess Connelly kill gave the Wildcats an 18-15 lead. Another 3-0 run gave the Wildcats a 21-16 lead and then they scored the final two points to take a 1-0 lead, 25-19.
But the Panthers fought back in the second set, turning a 3-1 deficit into a 17-8 lead, scoring six straight at the end of the run. Another 3-0 run put the Panthers ahead 20-11 and then they closed out the set, 25-16, to tie the match, 1-1.
The Panthers started the third set on an 11-3 run and led 15-7 midway through. The Wildcats fought back with runs of five and three straight points to close to within 16-15, and eventually tied the set, at 19-19 and 20-20. The Panthers took a slim 22-21 lead, and then scored the final three points to take the set, 25-21.
With the fourth set tied, 7-7, the Panthers rattled off 11 consecutive points to grab control of the game. The teams traded points the rest of the way, with the Panthers finishing the match, 25-15.
Heather Pedrick secured her 10th career triple-double in the match, leading the Wildcats with 12 kills, 13 assists, and 14 digs. Brice Hansen had nine kills and four digs while Jess Connelly had eight kills and 12 digs. Katie Bushong had a team high 21 assists and added 11 digs. The team had seven blocks as well.
Match vs. West Liberty:
West Liberty used big runs in the opening set to take control of the match. With the set tied 8-8, West Liberty scored six of the next seven and eight of 10 to take a 16-10 lead. They then scored the final six points to win the set, 25-13.
The second set was more of the same after the Wildcats took an 11-10 lead. West Liberty scored four straight in route to a 10-2 run to take a 20-13 lead. Another three straight game the opposing team a 23-15 lead before closing out the set, 25-16.
The Wildcats led the third set, 21-16, but West Liberty score seven consecutive points, spanning both Wilmington timeouts, to take a 24-21 lead. Jess Connelly staved off elimination with a kill, but it wasn't enough as West Liberty took the next point to win the match, 25-22.
Heather Pedrick had 10 kills and five digs while Jess Connelly finished with six kills and six digs. Ki'i Rilveria led with seven digs while Katie Bushong dished out 16 assists.
Up Next:
The Wildcat take another trip to star their 2022 season, as they head to Pueblo, Colorado to participate in the Steel City Showcase hosted by CSU Pueblo next weekend. The tournament starts with matches against CSU Pueblo and Cal State Monterey Bay next Friday.