-

Saturday, November 6, 2010

NO. 23 ARGONAUTS DROP THE HAMMER ON SAINT LEO, 3-0

Johnson Leads UWF to Senior Day Sweep

PENSACOLA, Fla. – On a day when the West Florida volleyball program honored their four seniors, the Argonauts put a licking on South Region rival Saint Leo, 3-0, Saturday at the UWF Field House. The victory gives UWF (24-6, 9-1 Gulf South Conference) a season sweep over the Lions (13-14, 7-7 Sunshine State Conference).

Soon-to-depart veterans Katie Johnson, Jamie Nichols, Chelsea Wilhoite and Kara Gonzalez were recognized in a ceremony prior to the match, their last regular season home fixture as Argonauts. The quartet will return to the UWF Field House next weekend, however, to compete in the GSC Tournament. UWF hosts the event by virtue of their GSC East championship.

Johnson led all players on Saturday with 11 kills, while sophomore Chandler Carney added eight. Another pair of underclassmen, freshman Molly Pearce and sophomore Anna Stoecklein, led the Argos as well – Pearce with 16 assists and Stoecklein with 11 digs. The Argos hit .204 on the day.

Saint Leo fell under .500 for the season after hitting just .085. Bruna Rocha had a team-high eight kills, while Corey Ryan added 11 digs.

West Florida won the opening set, 25-15, thanks to a pair of 5-0 spurts. The first one gave the Argos a 12-8 lead, and the second gave them an opening game victory. Johnson ended the set with her fifth kill of the frame.

The middle set was the closest, with West Florida winning 25-23. A pair of kills from Carney sparked another 5-0 run, this one putting UWF by a 17-16 count. Nichols ended the set with one of her seven kills to give the home side a commanding advantage.

Up 2-0, the Argonauts dictated the terms of the final set. Another Nichols blast set off a 4-0 run to put UWF up, 7-3. Later, back-to-back errors on Saint Leo gave UWF a 15-5 gap. Finally, another Saint Leo attack error, their 17th of the night, gave UWF a 25-17 win.

Wilhoite finished with five kills and nine digs in her final regular season home match, while Gonzalez added five kills and three blocks to increase her school record total to 281.

West Florida closes out the 2010 regular season on Monday night when they face Mobile of the NAIA ranks. Match time is slated for 7 pm.

For information on all UWF Athletics, visit www.GoArgos.com.

No comments:

Post a Comment