Saints smash past volleyball ’Cats

Published 1:00 pm Tuesday, October 1, 2024

If you are playing baseball, it’s always said the best way to success is simply hit the ball.

That’s a good way to win in volleyball as well, just not with any wooden sticks.

The Flagler College Saints smashed 46 kills over three sets Sunday at The Centennial Center, sweeping the Georgia College & State University Bobcats 3-0 in a best-of-5 Peach Belt Conference match that was the first of the 2024 season for both clubs. It snapped a three-match winning streak (one that came after four straight losses) for Abigail King and the Bobcats and leveled the season record at 6-6.

Those 46 kills for Flagler were nearly double the amount recorded by the home team Sunday. GCSU had 24 kills, six each by Cameron Carlton and Sarah Pipping.

Flagler came out swinging from the onset, and the Saints seemed to live by the spike and die by the spike. They committed 22 hitting errors in what was 117 total attacks. GCSU had 93 attacks by comparison with 14 errors.

Blocking was also a big factor in the match with Flagler making 10 to just four for the Bobcats.

In sets, freshman Sadie Parkerson had 11 assists for GCSU, and on defense Alanis Bernis had 11 digs. Flagler’s Clare Sheedy from Indiana had 37 assists while St. Louis libero Lexi Basler had 17 digs.

With two spikes, two big digs and a service ace, Flagler jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the first set and never seemed to look back. There was finally a GCSU kill from Carlton set by Parkerson, and Flagler never led more than six in the set.

In fact, it was from a heaping amount of FC errors that the margin went down to 8-7. Lexi Baum was on serve, and the back-up setter found Pipping for a kill for 10-8 Saints. As there were two more set and spikes by Flagler, those errors were keeping GCSU within one to three points. Pipping overcame two blocks to score as it was 15-14, and Parkerson assisted Jones County freshman Nya Warren on a hit for 17-15.

The Bobcats would go from trailing by four to just two at 22-20, but Flagler ended the set with consecutive service aces to win 25-20.

GCSU enjoyed brief leads in the second set with a block by Brooke Roberts and Cadence Spilotros and Parkerson sets to Spilotros and Carlton. When Carlton tied the set 4-4, the Saints reeled off four in a row with two set spikes. The Bobcats only had two aces in the match, and the one from Pipping in the second set was offset by Flagler as its leads swelled to five, 12-7.

After Baum’s cross court assist to Spilotros, Flagler scored twice on blocks. Roberts gave the home side an emphatic block, but Flagler hit through the next block attempt to stay up four, 16-12. That margin went as high as seven, 20-13, as Parkerson had two sets to Roberts and Carlton. Pipping converted a Baum set, but it was more Flagler power sending back a dig that went over the net and getting two more block points.

The set ended 25-17 for 2-0. Set No. 3 started 4-0 for the Saints before Carlton scored. Flager was still spiking the ball, but added two tappers onto open spots to lead by five, 9-4.

Pipping had both a kill and a dig, Warren made a block and Bernis was on serve for a Bobcat rally. Baum’s assist to Rosa Fisher began a 3-0 run for GCSU’s first lead in the set, 13-12. Spilotros scored another tying point, 14-14, and Baum served her side’s second ace leading to yet another one-point GCSU advantage. Pipping’s block made it 18-17, but Flagler reclaimed control scoring five in a row.

Baum had two more sets to Pipping and Fisher, but the set spikes sent the Saints back to Florida winners 25-21.