DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Volleyball split a pair of matches Friday as part of opening day action in the Bash at the Beach hosted by the Wildcats at Richard V. Moore Gymnasium. Bethune-Cookman took down Manhattan 3-1 in the season opener, before suffering a heartbreaking 3-2 setback to Portland in the nightcap.
 
BETHUNE-COOKMAN 3, MANHATTAN 1
Elizabeth Phillips had 11 kills and Mecca Freeman added 10 of her own to lead Bethune-Cookman to a 3-1 season opening win from visiting Manhattan University on Friday afternoon in the second match of the 2024 Bash at the Beach hosted by B-CU inside Richard V. Moore Gymnasium in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Wildcats took the match on scores of 25-16, 19-25, 25-17, 25-19.
 
Bethune-Cookman (1-0) held the visitors to just (-.107) hitting in the opening frame despite the efforts of Laila Glover for the Jaspers. Manhattan accumulated just six kills and nine errors in the opener.
 
B-CU used four kills from Mecca Freeman (Houston, Texas) as she hit .571 in the opening frame, adding a service ace and two blocks (one solo). With the set tied at 10-all, junior defensive specialist/libero Rylee Davis (San Antonio, Texas) served five consecutive points for the Wildcats, a run that included two kills and a block from Freeman.
 
Manhattan (0-1) bounced back in the second set when Maike Bertens and Mikalah Curran combined for 11 kills – six coming from Bertens, The Jaspers used a Bertens touch down the sideline to break an 8-all deadlock, allowing Sarah Emmons to serve four consecutive points, using a pair of attack errors in the process from the Wildcats.
 
With the Jaspers up 16-9 following a B-CU hitting error, two service aces from Sophia Lotto pushed the Manhattan lead to 21-10. The Cats would close the gap with a Ktyal Price (Robbinsdale, Minn.) block assisted by Ariel "AJ" Simmons (Miami, Fla.), added a service ace from the Cats' Elizabeth Phillips (Indianapolis, Ind.) to bring the Maroon and Gold to within 23-16. The Jaspers got a Bertens kill to complete the set win.
 
In the third set, B-CU hit .357 as a team to once again step in front in the match, 2-1.
 
Senior transfer Jasmine Robinson (Fleming Island, Fla.) put down four of her six kills for the match in the third frame, while Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Preseason Blocker of the Year Niara Hightower (Wichita Falls, Texas) tallied three kills and three blocks (two assisted) in allowing the Wildcats the eventual 25-17 set victory.
 
It would be Phillips registering five kills in the decisive fourth set for the Maroon and Gold, as the Wildcats hit at a set-high .650 in the frame.
 
For Manhattan, the Jaspers were paced by the play of Bertens and Curran with 17 kills each. Setter Sarah Emmons tallied a match-high 35 assists and added nine digs for her side.
 
As for B-CU, the Cats were led in scoring by Phillips' 11-kill afternoon, followed by Freeman's 10-kill outing. Sydni Poston (Chicago, Ill.) led Bethune-Cookman with nine digs with Hightower recording a match-high six blocks (four assisted).
 
PORTLAND 3, BETHUNE-COOKMAN 2
Portland took the final two sets of a thriller Friday evening in the final match of opening day play in the 2024 Bash at the Beach hosted by Bethune-Cookman, as the visiting Pilots got 22 kills from Maui Robins to complete a come-from-behind effort to top the homestanding Wildcats, 3-2 at Moore Gymnasium in Daytona Beach, Florida. Portland won the match on set scores of 25-22, 22-25, 22-25, 28-26, 15-10.
 
Portland (2-0) took the opening set with six kills from Maui Robins, while teammate Lucia Busso chipped in with four kills of her own.
 
A Jasmine Robinson kill for B-CU tied the opening frame 18-18, before Portland's Taina Kaauwai placed a kill – followed by a service ace from Havannah Hoeft, allowing the visitors a 20-18 edge. Kills down the stretch from Busso and a B-CU service error allowed the Pilots the win.
 
Bethune-Cookman (1-1) bounced back in the second set behind the play of AJ Simmons and Mecca Freeman, each totaling three kills apiece.
 
The Wildcats ran out to an early 8-1 lead off the serve of Freeman, a run that saw four (4) unforced hitting errors by the Pilots. A kill from Elin Larsson and a B-CU attack error brought Portland to within 10-8, before Simmons and Freeman went back-to-back for kills to once again extend the lead at 13-8.
 
The Pilots would tie the set at 19-all behind two kills from Larsson. But it would be the Wildcats' Freeman and three Pilots hitting errors down the stretch that would allow the hosts the 25-22 win to even the match at one set apiece.
 
B-CU claimed the third set 25-22 with Niara Hightower adding a set-high matching five kills and a block (assisted).
 
In the fourth set, twice Bethune-Cookman would serve for the match.
 
However, twice the Pilots would get timely kills from Kaauwai and Robins, respectfully, keeping their side in it. With the set tied at 26, Nevaeh Bray placed a kill, while Robins served an ace to claim the 28-26 set victory and send the match to an all-decisive fifth frame.
 
In the final set, Portland raced to a 10-4 lead early with Robins and Larsson providing the kills. Robinson kept B-CU within striking distance as she recorded six kills in the set. However, down the stretch, it would be the play of Robins providing three kills and a service ace to power her side to the win and improve Portland to 2-0 on the day.
 
The Pilots were led by two double-double performances, including a match-best 61 assists and 12 digs from setter Hoeft. Robins closed with 22 kills and 12 digs, adding five service aces to her cause as well. Also reaching double-figures for kills were teammates Busso (17), Larsson (13) and Kaauwai (11), respectively.
 
Bethune-Cookman was led in kills by Robinson with 15, also accumulating two assisted blocks on the evening. Senior setter Alisha Callender (Dorado, Puerto Rico), topped B-CU with 28 assists and 11 digs – her first double-double effort of the campaign. Hightower added 11 kills and six blocks. And it was Simmons who provided 10 kills and an assisted block to round out the double-digit kills leaders for the Wildcats.
 
Bethune-Cookman closes the Bash at the Beach on Saturday afternoon when playing host to fellow Volusia County opponent Stetson at 1:30 p.m., back inside Moore Gymnasium.
 
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