Volleyball Earns Two Wins in Florida Friday

By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media

LAKE WALES, Fla./BABSON PARK, Fla. – The Eagles went a perfect 2-0 on the hardwood Friday evening after a pair of sweeps down in the Sunshine State over Coastal Georgia (25-23,25-16,25-19) and Webber International (Fla.) (25-19,25-16,25-15).
 
Reinhardt (5-1) has now won four-consecutive outings after finishing the day in strong fashion with a convincing victory over the Warriors after holding off the Mariners earlier in the day.
 
"This was a great trip for the program," head coach Brian Goodhind said. "I can't thank Coach Chris at Tampa enough; his staff and players for giving us the opportunity to mix it up with them and get some scrimmages. It was a great learning opportunity to see how the defending NCAA Division II champs do things. Today was great to get back to playing actual matches and we are still working through the kinks and seeing what works and what doesn't. Coastal Georgia early this afternoon played well, and I was proud of how our girls handled the adversity and responded well with a 3-0 win.
 
The late match today was a tough one for me emotionally, but our players handled a tight set one, and from the end of that set on, I was happy with how they controlled the match. I have to say I think the new coach there is doing a great job and is working hard to establish a new culture. I'm so thankful to a lot of faces I saw there that I haven't seen in a while. I have a lot of love and they know who they are. To God go all the Glory."
 
The matchup with Coastal Georgia marked the first time the two schools met in competition since the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship Opening Round in Waleska towards the end of last season. The Mariners played a strong match throughout and could've potential changed the outcome of the day if they would've held on to steal the opening set – a 25-23 win by the Eagles. Coastal Georgia continued to flex its muscles on the defensive end by holding Reinhardt players to less than double-digit kills while piling on the digs.
 
The offense was again flowing through Carlee Baxter (14 assists), Erinn Marroquin (10) and Mar Vives (7). Marroquin earned a double-double with 13 digs, while Vives grabbed 11 receptions (and a team-best three aces).
 
Holly Heath was out front with 16 digs.
 
Reinhardt overcame an early 6-0 deficit against Webber International in set one and was able to put enough offensive runs together to hold off a pesky Warrior squad in the opening stanza. The Eagles would take complete control of the matchup in set two with multiple scoring sprees to jump out to a 20-9 advantage after being down, 6-4, early on.
 
The momentum would continue into the third-and-final set as Reinhardt would soar to a 10-point triumph and claim the battle in familiar stomping grounds for Goodhind.
 
The team had seven total aces and three blocks in addition to being led offensively by Courtney Pressley's 12 kills. Vives was out front with 13 digs, while Baxter and Marroquin combined for 28 assists in the victory.
 
The Florida trip has been cut short because of the threat of Hurricane Dorian, so with all of Saturday's action canceled, the Appalachian Athletic Conference opener and home opener is up next against Point (Ga.) on Sept. 5.
 
First serve inside the Brown Athletic Center is set for 6:30 p.m.
 
For up-to-the-minute Eagles sports news, follow Reinhardt Athletics on Facebook, @RU_Eagles on Twitter and @ru_eagles on Instagram. 

For more information on Reinhardt Women's Volleyball, please click here.