New College of Florida Volleyball split a pair of matches Saturday at the Florida College Lady Falcons Classic, sweeping Life University before falling to tournament host Florida College.
The Mighty Banyans opened the day with a 3-0 victory over Life, extending their program-record start to 8-0. NCF saw its unbeaten run end later Saturday with a 3-1 loss to Florida College.
NCF leaves Temple Terrace with an 8-1 record after winning 25 of its first 33 sets of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
NCF 3, LIFE 0
The Mighty Banyans opened the day with a commanding sweep of previously undefeated Life, 25-14, 28-26, 25-11.
NCF set the tone by hitting .591 in the opening set, recording 16 kills with only three attacking errors. After Life pushed the Mighty Banyans in the second, NCF prevailed 28-26 before closing the sweep with a dominant third set.
The Mighty Banyans held Life to a negative hitting percentage in the final set, forcing 10 attacking errors in a 25-11 victory.
Wiktoria Telecka led the attack with 15 kills, four service aces and 20.5 points while hitting .333. Soraya Nacero added 10 kills and five aces on a .333 hitting percentage.
Addison Phillippe recorded 30 assists, seven digs and two kills, while Khalia Horta led the defense with 11 digs. Madison Goin finished with seven kills and two aces.
FLORIDA COLLEGE 3, NCF 1
NCF suffered its first loss of the season in Saturday's finale, falling to Florida College 25-21, 19-25, 25-20, 25-15.
After Florida College took the opening set, the Mighty Banyans answered with their best offensive performance of the match. NCF recorded 14 kills with only three errors and hit .379 in a 25-19 second-set victory.
The Falcons regained the lead by taking a tightly contested third set, 25-20, before closing the match with a 25-15 victory in the fourth.
Nacero led NCF with 17 kills, 13 digs and four service aces while hitting .283. Telecka added 14 kills and two aces, while Phillippe finished with 35 assists and seven digs. Horta recorded a match-high 17 digs, and Goin added four kills and three aces.
Saturday's meeting was the first of three between the Mighty Banyans and Falcons this season. NCF will return to Temple Terrace on Oct. 5 before hosting Florida College on Nov. 2.
THE TURNING POINTS
VS. LIFE: With NCF leading 1-0, Life pushed the Mighty Banyans throughout an extended second set. NCF held firm to earn a 28-26 victory before dominating the third set, 25-11, to complete the sweep.
VS. FLORIDA COLLEGE: NCF responded to its opening-set loss by hitting .379 in a 25-19 victory in the second. Florida College answered by winning a third set that featured 10 ties and five lead changes, then carried that momentum into the fourth.
BY THE NUMBERS
8-0
NCF's record before Saturday's finale, extending the best start in program history.
.591
The Mighty Banyans' hitting percentage in the opening set against Life, recording 16 kills with only three attacking errors.
.055
Life's hitting percentage against the NCF defense.
20
Service aces recorded by the Mighty Banyans across Saturday's two matches.
25
Sets won by NCF through its first nine matches of the season.
TOURNAMENT STAT LEADERS
Kills: Wiktoria Telecka - 29
Assists: Addison Phillippe - 65
Digs: Khalia Horta - 28
Service Aces: Soraya Nacero - 9
Total Points: Wiktoria Telecka - 36.5
UP NEXT: NCF will open Sun Conference play next Saturday at 7 p.m. when the Mighty Banyans host Ave Maria University at Bradenton Christian School.
