This past weekend, Rollins Volleyball faced off against Barry University on Oct. 3, losing 3-1. Heading into the match, Rollins was 11-4 and Barry was ranked No. 4 with a record of 9-0. The week before, Barry had won against Lynn, who is the reigning champion and ranked No. 1 in the nation, and whom the Tars later competed against on Oct. 4.
Although Barry had a 6 ’11 middle blocker on the other side of the net, the Tars were able to put down 51 kills over all four sets with middle blocker Vivian Scuteri (‘29) leading in hitting percentage with a .348 and tying with outside hitter Cameron Grange (‘27) for 11 total kills each.
In the first set, the Tars were head-to-head with the Buccaneers and earned themselves an 18-16 lead to win with a final score of 25-22. The second and third set continued to be tight games with multiple turning points and frequent possession changes. Rollins lost both sets with scores of 25-21 and 25-23. The fourth started as a shift in momentum as the Tars held a 6-1 lead, but Barry responded with eight points and kept their momentum to end the set 25-20.
Although the game didn’t go in favor of the Tars, setter Jenna Garza (‘27) recorded four service aces, which included the 100th of her career.
“At the end of the day, we all know the amount of love we have for each other and that no single person is blamed for anything. We are all in it together, we win and we lose as one,” Grange said. “We see each loss as a way to learn and get better. It’s never a setback, it’s always motivation.”
After the loss, the Tars faced off against the No. 6 team in the nation, Lynn (13-1), on Oct. 4.
“The biggest challenge this weekend was going into the second game against Lynn with the same energy we had against Barry,” Grange said. “We had all the puzzle pieces, it was more about needing to put them together quicker and with more intent.”
The Tars started off strong with a 9-6 lead in the first set but fell short as Lynn went on a 7-point run to finish out the set 25-17.
“One thing we can improve on moving forward is when we do have a lead, to make sure we keep our foot on the gas and not let up,” Grange said. “I think at times we see that lead as a place to be comfortable instead of a place where we still need to fight with everything in us and finish strong.”
With Rylee Yarborough recording five kills in the second set and Makayla Moran hitting at .500 hitting percentage and recording 7 kills overall, the Tars were able to close the gap on the second set but still fell short 25-23 and 25-18 in the third set.
Hoping to improve their record of 11-6, the Tars are on the road for their next two matches. Their first match is against Florida Southern College on Oct. 10, followed by a match against the University of Tampa on Oct. 11, with both games being streamed live.
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