ST. AUGUSTINE – Flagler College split its first two matches of the season, winning 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-10) over Newberry College and then falling 3-1 (23-25, 25-13, 20-25, 21-25) to Shorter University, on the first day of the Flagler Saints Invitational Friday at Flagler Gymnasium.
Rollins College won both of its matches today while Flagler, Newberry, and Shorter all split two matches. Southern Wesleyan University lost its two matches.
In the opener, Flagler held Newberry to a .039 hitting percentage to roll to a sweep.
Rachel Machovec and
Karlie Redfern led a balanced offensive attack for the Saints with eight kills apiece. Machovec hit an efficient .304 as she had just one error on 23 swings. Her twin sister, Rebekah, added six kills, seven digs, and three total blocks.
Kennedy Muff tallied 23 assists while
Kayla Norelli collected a team-high 10 digs and had three aces.
The Saints opened the first set on a 5-1 run and never looked back.
Rachel Machovec record four of her kills in the set and hit .444.
The second set saw four ties and three lead changes, but the Wolves committed two costly errors when they were down 23-21 to end the set. A service error by Katie Ullsperger and an attack error by Morgan Walter ended the set for Newberry.
Like the first set, the Saints opened the third on a 5-1 run and held the Wolves to a -.125 hitting percentage.
Zoe Dinkins and Toni-Anne Whitlow each recorded six kills for Newberry. Avery Webb added 24 assists and Morgan Walter gathered 11 digs.
In the nightcap, Mirella Gatterdam recorded a double-double with 16 kills and 11 digs for the Hawks. Annie Veldhuis came off the bench to provide 12 kills. Emily Wilson collected a match-high 24 digs. Taryn Cycholl notched a double-double with 23 assists and 12 digs.
Rachel Machovec led the Saints with 16 kills and 10 digs, recording her first double-double of the season. Redfern added 11 kills and 13 digs. Muff recorded her first career double-double with 38 assists and a team-high 19 digs. Norelli chipped in with 16 digs.
The final day of the tournament begins tomorrow at 10 a.m. as Newberry takes on Shorter. Flagler follows with Southern Wesleyan at noon. Rollins takes on Newberry at 2 p.m. while Shorter and Southern Wesleyan meet at 4:30 p.m. Flagler hosts Rollins at 7 p.m. to conclude the tournament.
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