Jannelize Perez recorded a career-high 33 digs as Stetson University women’s volleyball defeated Bethune-Cookman volleyball 3-1 in its home opener Saturday at Insight Credit Union Arena at the Edmunds Center in DeLand, Florida.
Stetson won 25-18, 25-18, 20-25 and 25-11 to improve to 3-2 on the season and complete a home-and-home sweep of Bethune-Cookman. Stetson finished with 65 kills and a .280 hitting percentage, while Bethune-Cookman had 43 kills and hit .143.
Stetson University women’s volleyball closes with fourth-set run
Stetson controlled the opening two sets before Bethune-Cookman claimed the third. The Hatters responded in the fourth set after the Wildcats pulled within 14-9, using an 8-0 run to take a 22-9 lead.
Stetson closed the match with a 25-11 fourth-set victory. Perez contributed a service ace during the run, while Andrea Diaz Dominguez, Lelia Fitz and Karsu Bayraktar added kills. Fitz and Torcello also combined for a block.
Perez leads career performances
Perez finished with 33 digs, three service aces and eight assists. Vanessa Shevchenko established a career high with 19 digs and added 25 assists, eight kills and 8.5 points.
Bayraktar recorded the first double-double of her career with 17 kills and 10 digs while hitting .378. Diaz Dominguez posted the second double-double of her career with 13 kills and 11 digs, while Fitz added 10 kills, a .429 hitting percentage and three blocks.
Maia Keely Pou recorded a career-high 23 assists. Bayraktar, Diaz Dominguez and Fitz each finished with double-digit kills, and Kayla Balfour has hit at least .313 in each of Stetson’s previous two matches.
Stetson head coach Yang Deng credited the team’s growth and contributions from across the lineup after the victory.
“We are improving in all areas, from our young setters running the show to our newcomers and players stepping into new roles. Not a lot of them have a lot of experience, but they are functioning well and connecting really well. We have players coming off the bench at different times and contributing. Overall, I think we did a really good job this game.”
Deng also praised Diaz Dominguez and Bayraktar for their development.
“Andrea is doing an excellent job as a freshman. She has the game knowledge, coachability and effort. For Karsu, the improvement from last year is huge. Her legs are feeling better, so she has more freedom to do whatever she wants. She is very coachable, learning the game very well and playing the style I ask her to play.”
Deng said Perez’s defense, serving and communication helped drive her performance.
“JP always gives great effort and is a great communicator. We are working a lot on passing and serving, and she has improved since the spring semester. Now we are working on defense and transition. She has always been really good defensively with her physical effort, and today she did a better job reading the game and staying focused for a long period of time. Her serving was also really good today. She basically did everything right, getting her 33, so I’m proud of her as well.”
Stetson University women’s volleyball visits UCF
Stetson University women’s volleyball will visit UCF on Wednesday, September 9, at 6 p.m. The match is scheduled for The Venue in Orlando, Florida.
Source: Original report