BRADENTON, FLA. The Mighty Banyans protected its home floor with a 3-1 weekend in four matches at the Mighty Banyan VolleyPalooza over the weekend at SCF-Bradenton.
Match 1: Ave Maria 3, NCF, 2 (Friday, Sept. 5)
The Mighty Banyans' first taste of Sun Conference play saw it fall just short in a five-set thriller against Ave Maria.
NCF won the first set 25-15 and lost the second 25-17.
The Banyans led 15-7 in the third set, but the Gyrenes rallied to finish the set on an 18-7 run to win the set 25-22.
NCF battled back to win the fourth set 25-16, and after falling behind 14- 12, facing match point, evened the score at 14 before back-to-back Ave Maria scores ended the match.
Junior Wiktoria Telecka led the Mighty Banyans with 21 kills and four service aces. Senior Jayleen Santiago had 15 kills and junior Soraya Nacero had 13.
Defending Sun Conference Setter of the Week, Rafaela Domingos, had a team-leading 51 assists. Defending Sun Conference Defender of the Week, Maria Luiza Barreis, had a team-high 21 digs.
Match 2: NCF 3, Florida National, 1 (Friday, Sept. 5)
NCF did not waste much time shaking off its opening loss to Ave, as later Friday it bounced back with a 3-1 non-conference win over Florida National.
The Mighty Banyans won the first set 25-22 and then lost a thrilling second set 32-30.
It bounced back in convincing fashion in the third set, winning 25-10, and then finished off the Conquistadors with a 25-19 fourth set victory.
Nacero led the Banyans with 13 kills, Abigail Willis had 11 kills and a team-high four blocks, Telecka had 10 kills and a team-high four service aces, while Santiago had 10 kills and three service aces.
Barreis recorded a team-leading 30 digs to lead the Banyans' defensive efforts, while Dominguez had another stellar performance at the setter position, leading the way with 52 assists.
Match 3: NCF 3, Florida College, 0 (Saturday, Sept. 6)
NCF started Saturday in style with its first sweep of the season as it took down Florida College 3-0 in straight sets.
The Banyans took the first set 25-18 and then, after falling behind 17-13 in the second set, used a 12-4 run to win 25-22 to go up 2-0.
With all the momentum, NCF dominated in the third set, winning 25-10 to finish off the Falcons.
Santaigo led NCF with 19 kills while Nacero and Telecka each had 11.
Domingos recorded a team-leading 38 assists and joined Barreis with 17 digs to finish tied for the team lead.
Match 4: NCF 3, Florida National, 0
NCF finished off the weekend with another sweep as it earned a second victory in as many days over Florida National.
After a dominant 25-10 win in the first set, NCF rallied back from 24-23 down to win a nail-biting second set 29-27. With all the momentum, it put away FNU with a 25-15 third-set victory.
Telecka led the Banyans with 14 kills, Barreis led the way with 25 sets and Domingos finished off a dominant weekend with 43 assists and two kills.
Up Next: NCF will be back in action Saturday when it welcomes conference rival Southeastern to SCF-Bradenton for a 7 p.m. showdown.
