Game Information
Score: Keiser 3, Florida College 1 (25-13, 21-25, 25-23, 25-23)
Records: Keiser (7-0), Florida College (2-4)
Location: Countess de Hoernle Student Life Center, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Florida College Starters: A. Hodges, D. Hornsby, J. Spano, B. Gunter, R. Tharp, M. Bitton; libero – E. Lemerond
Keiser Starters: N. McKown, C. Zamora, V. Hietala, N. Papineau, S. Thompson, M. Minke; libero – M. Leff
 
Highlights
Keiser volleyball improved to 7-0 for the first time in program history, winning in dramatic fashion over Florida College, 3-1. For just the third time this season, the Seahawks were forced to play into a fourth set. Keiser eased through the first set, winning by 12 before falling in the second set by four. The Seahawks completed a collective effort in the final two sets, winning by a combined four points. Nikki McKown led the attacking effort with 14 kills, while Veera Hietala and Megan Minke each recorded a hitting percentage over .300. Nicole Papineau notched 42 assists, while Morgan Leff recorded a season-high 26 digs. Keiser outhit the Falcons .245 to .180 and recorded 89 digs as a unit.
 
How it Happened
Set One:
The Seahawks won the first set by the final score of 25-13, as they remain undefeated in the first set this season. The Seahawks and Falcons went back-and-forth to begin the opening set, with Keiser holding a three point advantage. With the score at 14-11 in favor of the Seahawks, Keiser pulled away and held the momentum through the remainder of the set, outscoring Florida College 11-2 en route to the 12-point victory. Nikki McKown recorded three kills during the run, while Veera Hietala notched two of her own. The Seahawks posted a whopping .423 hitting percentage, compared to .103 from the Falcons.
 
Set Two:
The second set began much like the first with the two squads trading points. Neither team was able to pull away through the first 28 points of the set as there were seven ties. With the score knotted at 14-14, the visiting Falcons scored three unanswered points to force a Keiser timeout midway through the set. The Seahawks could not pull any closer than two as the Falcons held on to claim the second set by the score of 25-21.
 
Set Three:
The Keiser offense came out firing to begin the third set, jumping out to a 6-1 advantage to force a Falcons timeout. The Falcons hung in once again, clawing away at the Seahawks lead until the set was knotted at 16 apiece. After the Seahawks built a three-point lead, the Falcons evened the contest at 23-23, forcing the third set into a nail-biting finish. Back-to-back kills by Hietala and McKown sealed the 25-23 victory in favor of the Seahawks, allowing Keiser some breathing room heading into the fourth set.
 
Set Four:
After yielding four of the first five points to the Falcons, Keiser scored three unanswered to even the fourth set at 4-4. Florida College opened up another three-point lead but the Seahawks chipped away once again before taking their first lead of the set, 11-10. The two squads traded the next 25 points with the Falcons edging the Seahawks 13-12 during the run, tying the game at 23 apiece for the second consecutive set. The Keiser defense stepped up, forcing back-to-back Falcons' errors to clinch the 25-23 fourth-set victory.
 
Team Leaders:
Keiser
Kills: 14 – Nikki McKown
Assists: 42 – Nicole Papineau
Digs: 26 – Morgan Leff
 
Florida College
Kills: 20 – Abigail Hodges
Assists: 49 – Baylee Gunter
Digs: 24 – Elisa Lemerond
 
Up Next
Keiser returns to action tomorrow with a doubleheader at noon and 6 p.m. to conclude the Labor Day Volleyfest. The Seahawks will first take on Marian, followed by Dalton State College.