Sept. 2, 2006
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Christina Johnson (Farmington, Mo./Farmington HS) posted a .692 attack percentage, and Calli Kovel (Joliet, Ill./Charleston Southern) tallied five service aces as West Florida earned their first victory of the Lewis University Flyer Festival with a 3-0 win over Michigan Tech on Saturday. West Florida improves to 2-5, while Michigan Tech falls to 4-4.
Johnson's .692 attack percentage (nine kills, no errors, 13 total attacks) was one kill short of the third-best attack individual match attack percentage in school history. It was also the second time in as many days that Johnson posted an attack percentage of at least .600. Kovel's five service aces were tied for the third most individual match service aces.
West Florida scored six straight points to jump out to an early 9-3 lead in the first game. The Argonauts eventually opened a 19-9 lead en route to the win. West Florida posted an attack percentage of .324 in the first game, while Michigan Tech only recorded an .075 attack percentage.
West Florida was equally as effective in game two. With the score tied at 4, Jerica Carter (Gainesville, Fla./Gainesville HS) served the Argonauts to four straight points. Included in the stretch were consecutive service aces by Carter. After Michigan Tech cut the Argonaut lead to 10-9, Naiara Fernandes (Belo Horizonte, Brazil/Lee University) recorded back-to-back kills and Danielle Spitzer (Birmingham, Ala./Western Carolina) added a kill to increase the Argonaut lead to 13-9. West Florida put the game away as Kovel served the Argonauts to the final seven points of the game. Johnson collected consecutive kills, and Fernandes took a pass from Melina Pereira (Sao Paulo, Brazil/UNIVAP) for the game-ending kill.
The third game was the competitive with 11 ties. With the scored tied at 20, Kovel once again was at the forefront of an Argonaut offensive streak. Kovel collected three service aces amid eight consecutive West Florida points. Spitzer and Fernandes earned a block assist on the final play to clinch the Argonauts win.
Fernandes led West Florida with 12 kills. She also added eight digs. Johnson added nine kills and led West Florida with five blocks. Carter led the Argonauts with 14 digs. Veronica Armstrong led Michigan Tech with 11 kills.
West Florida will play their final match of the Flyer Festival this afternoon at 1 p.m. CST against Winona State.