Avon Park, FL –The Webber International Women's Volleyball team hosted the Keiser Seahawks Saturday evening. After the tough fight, the Warriors narrowly lost in their third straight five-set match, 3-2.
The Warriors and Seahawks were tightly contested in set 1. After six points and kills from Teodora Ranitovic Bailey Sikkema, the game sat tied, 3-3. The Seahawks jumped out to a 6-3 lead before the Warriors responded by taking eight of the next 11 points, highlighted by kills from Jaizah Anderson, Cintia Lorena, Ranitovic, and Sikkema, as well as a block from Lorena and Savanna Wilhite. Keiser scored five straight to take a 14-11 lead before Webber stormed back, scoring 11 of the next 14 points. Kills from Nadia Reid, Jaizah Anderson, and Lorena complemented blocks from Reid, Ranitovic, Lorena, and Anderson to give the Warriors a 22-17 lead in set 1. The Seahawks did not go quietly, as the scored six of the next nine points, but kills from Ranitovic and Sikkema gave the Warriors set 1, 25-23.
The second set started out similarly as the teams sat tied 7-7 following two kills from Reid, a service ace from Ana Clara Araujo, and a block from Lorena and Rylee Bolser. The Seahawks started to pull away in set 2, a combination block from Bolser and Lorena as well as a kill from Anderson kept the Warriors within two points, 16-14. A kill from Lorena and an error from the Seahawks kept the Warriors down one before Keiser scored eight of the next 11 points to take set 2 25-19.
The Warriors were down quickly in set 3, as the Seahawks jumped out to a 7-2 lead. The Seahawks continued their run, as kills from Reid, Araujo, Anderson Lorena and Sikkema dropped the Warrior deficit 15-7. The Warriors did not quit, as kills from Reid, Bolser, and Anderson put the Warriors in double digits, 21-12. A block and a kill from Ranitovic were the last points the Warriors got in set 3 as the Seahawks took set 3 25-15.
The Warriors jumped out to a 9-4 lead in set 4, thanks in part to kills from Lorena, Paysee Crow, Ranitovic, blocks from Ranitovic, Anderson, and Sikkema, and a service ace from Kiersten Tisdale. The Seahawks brought the deficit to three before the Warriors rattled off four straight points with kills from Sikkema and Reid, as well as a service ace from Araujo. Following a kill from Lorena to make the score 16-10 in favor of the Warriors, Keiser took a timeout before Lily Arnold came and had two services aces sandwiching a kill from Ranitovic to bring the score to 21-10. Keiser would score three more points in the set before kills from Lorena and Sikkema, a block from Ranitovic, and another service ace from Tisdale gave the Warriors set 4 25-13.
Set 5 was a tightly contested affair as neither team was able to take a lead greater than one for the first 16 points as both teams were deadlocked 8-8. Ranitovic, Sikkema, Reid, and Lorena picked up kills for the Warriors, with Andrea Padilla adding a service ace. Bolser and Lorena also picked up two combo blocks to help the Warriors keep the set tied. The Warriors took a two-point lead thanks in part to Ranitovic, before the Seahawks were able to retie the set at 10. Both teams went back and forth for the next five points, with Ranitovic picking up two kills and Bolser adding another to give the Warriors a 13-12 lead. This would be the last points the Warriors scored as the Seahawks scored three straight to take set 5 15-13, and the match 3-2.
Ranitovic led the team with 11 kills, with Reid adding 10 and Lorena adding nine. Ranitovic also led the team with eight blocks, while Lorena had six and Bolser had five. Crow led with 22 assists, with Araujo adding 19 herself. Bailey Berger led the team with 18 digs.
The Warriors will be back in action on Wednesday, October 11th when they travel to Miami Gardens to take on the Florida Memorial Lions at 7 PM.
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