Argos Rout Lady Blazers, 3-0, On the Road
Amanda Spaay and Maddie Staub (Photo by Ron Besser)VALDOSTA, Ga. – The UWF volleyball team swept Valdosta State on Friday evening on the road (25-14, 25-17, 25-23), as they continue their efforts to earn their seed in the Gulf South Conference tournament next weekend. Lindsay Homme (Willowbrook, Ill./Hinsdale Central HS) continued to dominate the offense in an errorless 15 kill performance, while Tricia Tirabassi (Kenosha, Wis./Tremper HS) surged her offense to a season-high .371 clip.
Homme hit a huge .557, while Patricia Gandolfo (Porto Alegre, Brazil/Missouri State – West Plains CC) collected 13 kills for a gigantic .722. Valissia Brathwaite (British Virgin Islands/Palm Beach CC) and Jamie Nichols (Crawfordville, Fla./Wakulla HS) tallied nine kills in the offensive onslaught, as Chelsea Wilhoite (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny HS) collected a season-high nine assists.
Wilhoite and Tirabassi were the defensive dig leaders in the affair with 10 each, followed by Amanda Spaay (Kenosha, Wis./Tremper HS) and Maddie Staub (Spanish Fort, Ala./Daphne HS) earned six and five, respectively. Homme and Gandolfo shared the responsibilities at the net with four blocks each, as Nichols posted three.
The Argos hit .500 as a team in the first set on their way to a 25-14 victory. West Florida took an early lead, forcing a Valdosta timeout at 7-3. The lead, however, was maintained and then extended on significant service runs by Nichols and Gandolfo before a service error gave VSU a sideout at 23-14. A Brathwaite kill earned set point, and Homme and Wilhoite teamed up for a block that earned the win.
The squads tangled early in a second set that saw six ties before the Argos took a 12-10 edge. It was at that point that the Argos took control, and Wilhoite’s serves pushed UWF to a 20-14 lead. VSU crumbled under West Florida’s pressure, and the Argos claimed victory again on a block, this time by Homme and Brathwaite. As a team, the Argos committed just one attack error with three hitters over .600.
Gandolfo blocked the first VSU attack in set three to put the first point on the board, but the Lady Blazers worked to an 11-9 lead. The teams went almost point for point most of the way through, and Valdosta State looked to be closing in on a win as they took a 20-19 lead. Homme then tied the set at 21, and the Argos pulled ahead by two after the sideout. The teams traded kills for a 24-22 score in favor of West Florida, and a final VSU attempt made it a one-point set at 24-23. Gandolfo then blasted a kill for match point, and a 25-23 victory.
The win improved UWF’s record to 18-12, 7-2 in the Gulf South Conference. The Argos will compete in their final regular season match tomorrow afternoon at West Georgia, with first serve slated for 1pm EST.
