DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Many wouldn't have thought Savannah College of Art and Design was the No. 21 team in the NAIA after coming out and dropping the first game 30-12 to Embry-Riddle University Saturday afternoon. However, the sign of a top-ranked team, the Bees not only rebounded with a 30-15 victory in the second game, they went on to win the final three games including coming back from 28-22 down in the final game to close out the match 3-1.
The Bees, had already clinched the regular-season league title, but closed out their perfect FSC mark going 14-0 and improved to 22-11 overall, while ERAU finished second in the league with an 11-3 mark and 17-15 overall. The entire league will be returning to Daytona Beach on Thursday, Nov. 9th for the FSC/Region XIV tournament banquet at Daytona USA. Tournament play begins at the ICI Center on Friday with quarterfinal matches at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on two courts, then the semifinals will be played at 6 and 8 p.m. The tournament championship will be played on Saturday at 2 p.m.
2004 FSC Player of the Year Cristina Payne led the way for SCAD recording 21 kills hitting . 261 for the match and added 12 digs defensively.
The first two games were lopsided affairs. In the first, Embry-Riddle couldn't miss hitting .500 as a team with 15 kills and no errors in 30 attempts, while the Bees hit a match-low .094 with six errors. This translated into the Eagles jumping out to a commanding 19-5 advantage behind freshman Jenn Meglic who was a perfect 6-for-6 in attacks. Meglic finished with 14 kills and just two errors in 30 attempts to hit. 400, while April Ebanks added 13 kills and hit .396 with five blocks.
The roles were reversed in the second, with SCAD nearly unstoppable hitting .429 with 16 kills paced by Frida Sigurdardottir with six kills in seven attempts. Sigurdardottir finished with 10 kills, six digs and four blocks. Meanwhile, the Eagles struggled hitting just .065 with eight kills and six errors in 31 attempts. The Bees opened wth a 15-5 run and cruised to the 30-15 victory.
The third game saw both teams couldn't get in a rhythm offensively, but the Bees played slightly better pulling out a 30-28 victory. There were 13 ties and eight lead changes in the game. In the final 12 points the teams were tied six times. Following a kill by ERAU's Jenni Nelsen which tied the game at 28-28, SCAD's Courtney Shelton put a ball away on a set by Bryn Tofte and then Nelsen ended the game with an attack error giving the Bees the game 30-28. Payne registered six of her match-high 21 kills in the game. Tofte finished with 22 assists, eight digs and two service aces, while setter Brittaney Stewart added 18 assists fr the Bees.
Embry-Riddle looked as though they would force a fifth and deciding game gaining a 28-22 advantage in the fourth. However, miscues by the Eagles and Shelton taking control of the game were the difference as the Bees mounted the amazing comeback to win the match. Follwing a Nelsen service error, Shelton went to work with a kill. On the next play ERAU setter Marissa Gonzales was whistled for a double-hit, then Savannah Trakes had an attack error. Shelton came up huge with another kill and Trakes followed with another attack error to tie the game at 28 apiece. Payne recorded her 21st kill to give the Bees the 29-28 lead and then Shelton closed out her run with a solo block on Meglic. Shelton, who finished with nine kills and three blocks, might not have dominated the match statistically, but she certainly was a timely and dominant presence for the Bees in the final seven points leading the Bees' comeback.
