Posted: Oct 14, 2023
MELBOURNE, Fla.- The #1 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers registered a program record 19 blocks and Alondra Alarcon became the first player in program history with back to back 20 kill games as FSW picked up their 13th win over a ranked opponent this season as they got past #17 Eastern Florida State 3-1 on the road Saturday afternoon in Melbourne to remain unbeaten at 22-0 on the year.
The Bucs and Titans got things going by splitting the first 10 points before a 4-0 run by FSW put the Bucs up 9-5 early in the first set. A big block from Nina Boledovicova and Victoria Zibecchi followed by an ace from Clara Maidantchik stretched the Bucs lead to 15-9 and they would put it in cruise control from there before Alondra Alarcon smashed a kill off the block to give FSW the first 25-18 to go up 1-0 in the match.
The second followed a similar script early on as another 4-0 Buccaneer run gave FSW an 11-5 lead ahead of an Eastern Florida timeout. The Bucs continued to push as the Titans had no answer for the multifaceted FSW attack, stretching their lead to 18-8 on a well placed tip over the block from Sara Gasparini. Zibecchi and Abby Toeniskoetter combined on a block and Maidantchik dialed up three straight aces, ballooning the FSW lead all the way to 22-8. The Titans found what seemed like inconsequential momentum late in the set, making the final score respectable, but it was FSW taking the set 25-16 to go up 2-0 in the contest.
After closing the second on an 8-3 run, Eastern carried things on right over to the third as they jumped out to a 10-5 lead on the Bucs before pushing it to 19-8 later on as FSW found themselves in a double digit deficit for the first time this season. The Bucs never got going as Eastern finished off a stunning 25-12 third to push the match to a fourth set.
Thankfully for the Bucs, the score reset at 0-0 to begin the fourth and they regained their form coming out of the break, starting the set up 9-5 after a Roberta Purashaj to Nina Boledovicova hook up on the slide. Midway through the set Izzy Collier teamed up with Zibecchi on one pin and then Gasparini on the other for two blocks in three points to make it 17-10 FSW and Purashaj connected with Alarcon for three straight kills to put the Bucs on the brink as they led it 23-14. The match came to a close in a fitting way as the Bucs recorded their 19th block of the afternoon to set up match point and Alarcon hit a cross court rocket for her 20th kill of the game to finish it as the Bucs took the set 25-14 to win the match 3-1.
The Bucs 19 blocks as a team set a new program single game record. Eight different players recorded at least one block led by Collier with 10 and Alarcon and Boledovicova with 6 each. Alarcon had her second straight huge match, dialing up 20 kills and 11 digs making her the first player in FSW program history with back to back 20 kill contests. Boledovicova also chipped in on the offensive side of the net, finishing second on the team with 8 kills while hitting a team best .467 in the win. Purashaj finished with 41 assists in the victory while Maidantchik led the club with 5 aces and 18 digs for FSW.
The win over the 17th ranked Titans is the 13th of the season over a ranked opponent for FSW as they improve to 22-0 overall and 11-0 in Citrus Conference action. The Bucs clinch a share of their fourth straight Conference Championship with three games still left to go. Eastern Florida falls to 13-6 overall and 6-6 in conference action where they now sit solely in 5th place in the league standings.
After four straight on the road, the Bucs now return home to the friendly confines of Suncoast Credit Union Arena next week where they will play their final three regular season games of the year at home. The stretch will begin on Wednesday when the Bucs entertain Santa Fe in Fort Myers with first serve scheduled for 6:00 PM.