BOCA RATON, Fla. -
Marley Middlebrooks recorded 34 kills as Flagler College lost both of its matches to open the Hyatt Place Bash at the Beach Friday evening at the de Hoernle Sports and Cultural Center. The Flagler volleyball team dropped lost to the University of Missouri-St. Louis 3-1 (22-25, 22-25, 26-24, 20-25) and to No. 1 (AVCA Division II Top 25) Lynn University 3-1 (20-25, 24-26, 25-19, 15-25).
These losses drop the Saints to a 3-7 record. Lynn remained undefeated at 9-0 while UMSL is now 6-3. The Saints will face Lee University and Palm Beach Atlantic University on Saturday at Rubin Arena in West Palm Beach. Flagler had its two-match winning streak snapped in the series against Lynn. The last time the Saints faced a top-ranked team was Dec. 1, 2011 when they lost at Cal State-San Bernardino at the NCAA Division II National Tournament. The Saints were one of only two teams to win a set against the Fighting Knights so far this season. UMSL holds a 2-0 lead in the series with Flagler.
Middlebrooks finished with a career-high 20 kills against the Tritons. She added 10 digs and two aces.
Clare Sheedy finished with nine kills, 41 assists, six digs, two aces, and two total blocks.
Katherine Rank added nine kills and three total blocks.
UMSL's Alayan Santel finished with a team-high 18 kills and hit .364 with six errors on 33 swings. Bridet Cassady added 16 kills and hit a sizzling .556 with only one error on 27 swings. Hannah Copeland supplied 12 kills and finished with a .500 hitting percentage as she had one error on 22 swings. Caitlin Bishop tallied a match-high 49 assists. Skylar Weaver recorded a match high 13 digs.
Middlebrooks led the offense again with 14 kills against Lynn.
Cassidy Bloom and
Gracie Fleming each added 10 kills. Sheey tallied 33 assists while Bloom led the defense with eight digs.
Amelia Fitzpatrick tacked on four aces and seven digs. Rank added three block assists.
Nadia Rossi had a match-high 18 kills and she finished with a .368 hitting percentage as she had four errors on 38 swings. Valentina Mogg and Aline Olegario added 13 and 12 kills, respectively. Ula Gorjup registered 45 assists, served up four aces, collected seven digs, and had three total blocks. Clara Maidantchik collected a match-high 12 digs.
