DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – B-CU volleyball attempted to rally once again from a 2-0 hole, but were unable to finish it off, losing 3-1 (25-18, 25-18, 20-25, 25-11) to the Stetson Hatters at the Edmunds Center.
The Wildcats (1-4) struggled to find their rhythm early, as Stetson (3-2) opened the match with a 7-1 run in the first set. Bethune-Cookman answered with a 5-0 run midway through the frame, cutting the deficit to 11-6 behind an ace from Alaya Rhodes and a pair of Stetson attack errors. The Hatters, however, maintained control throughout the remainder of the set and took the opening frame, 25-18.
Stetson carried its momentum into the second set, jumping out to an 11-2 advantage. Bethune-Cookman managed to cut the deficit to 15-9 after three consecutive kills from Moriah Johnson, but the Hatters responded with another strong stretch to take a 22-13 lead. Stetson closed out the set, 25-18, to take a 2-0 match advantage.
Facing a two-set deficit, the Wildcats came alive in the third set. Bethune-Cookman and Stetson traded points early before the Wildcats used a 5-0 run to turn an 8-7 deficit into a 12-8 advantage. Johnson and Rhodes combined for several key kills during the stretch, while Kaleigh Williams added a pair of kills as B-CU extended its lead to 17-12.
The Hatters attempted to rally late, pulling within 20-17, but Bethune-Cookman answered with kills from Rhodes and Johnson to maintain its advantage. Johnson delivered the final point of the set with a kill from Kylynn White, giving the Wildcats a 25-20 win and forcing a fourth set.
Stetson regained control in the fourth set, opening the frame with a 7-2 advantage. Bethune-Cookman continued to battle, trimming the deficit to 9-5 before the Hatters gradually extended their lead.
The Wildcats remained within striking distance at 15-9, but Stetson used a 7-0 run to take a commanding 22-9 advantage. Bethune-Cookman fought off multiple match points and scored four consecutive points to make it 24-11, but the Hatters eventually closed out the match, 25-18.
- Bethune-Cookman recorded 43 kills on 161 attacks and hit .143 as a team.
- The Wildcats' .326 hitting percentage in the third set was their best attacking percentage of the match.
- Bethune-Cookman recorded 8.0 team blocks.
- Moriah Johnson led all Bethune-Cookman players with 14 kills and hit .500, recording 14 kills on 26 attacks with just one error. Johnson also added three blocks.
- Alaya Rhodes finished with 11 kills, 17 digs and two block assists.
- Kaleigh Williams recorded nine kills and hit .368, adding five digs and two block assists.
- Kylynn White led the Wildcats with 20 assists.
- Taylor Ellis led B-CU with 14 digs while Aaniya Thornton contributed 12 digs.
- Stetson finished with 65 kills and hit .280 as a team.
- Karsu Bayraktar led Stetson with 17 kills and hit .378.
- Andrea Diaz Dominguez added 13 kills, while Lelia Fitz recorded 10 and Sofia Torcello added nine.
- Vanessa Shevchenko finished with eight kills and 19 digs.
B-CU returns to South Carolina for a tournament on the campus of Charleston Southern. The Wildcats will open against Cal State Fullerton on Friday, Sept. 11, beginning at 1 p.m. EST.
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--#HailWildcats--
