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2023 ECKERD

VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

TRITON VOLLEYBALL

RETURNERS

Aleksa Curta (Jr.; S) - Curta appeared in 16 matches with two starts while playing 29 sets last season and was a key reserve in 2021 as well. She dished out 56 assists in 2022, with a season-high 22 against Nova Southeastern (9/16).


Martina Melicherova (Jr.; OH/RS) - Melicherova appeared in 10 matches with six starts last year. She totaled 29 kills on the season. She logged a season-high eight kills against Flagler (9/3).


Kalli Schoening (Jr.; MB) - Schoening made an immediate impact on the Tritons' lineup last year in her first season, appearing in 24 matches and 68 sets. She totaled 120 kills and registered 89.0 blocks on the year, 15 of them being solo blocks.


Ashley Eck (Jr.; L) - Eck impressed in her first season with Eckerd last year, becoming one of the top defenders in the SSC and being named third-team all-conference. She appeared in 104 sets with 471 digs, 41 aces, and 118 assists. She posted a career-high 26 digs against Flagler (9/3).


Simone Jackson (Jr.; DS) - A key reserve for Eckerd, Jackson played in 20 matches with three starts last year. She posted 130 digs, 20 aces, and 18 assists.


Stella Antypa (Jr.; OH) - Antypa made an impact in her first year with Eckerd in 2022, starting all 30 matches. She totaled 259 kills with a season-high 17 against West Florida (11/18). She also added 274 digs on the year.


Tiani Bello (Jr.; DS) - Bello appeared in 27 matches with three starts while playing in 65 sets. She registered 45 digs and 14 aces on the year and was named to the CSC Academic All-District Team.



RETURNERS (Cont.)

Nyla Muskovin (So.; OH/RS) - Muskovin had a breakout rookie campaign, being named the SSC Offensive Player of the Week after posting a career-high 15 kills against No. 4 Tampa. She appeared in 22 matches with five starts while playing 53 sets.


Charlie Wittholz (Jr.; MB) - Wittholz missed the 2022 season with an injury but looks to make an impact this season. She prepped at Olympia High School in Orlando, Florida, where she ranked No. 1 in her district for blocking.



Sarah Sampson (So.; S) - Sampson played in five matches while distributing 12 assists on the year.


NEWCOMERS

Jaida Clark (Jr.; MB) - Clark comes to Eckerd after two seasons at Austin Peay, where she played in 197 sets through 58 matches over both years. Last year, she averaged 2.13 kills per set in 2022. She tallied 135 blocks through her two seasons.


Sidney Knowles (Fr.; DS) - Knowles prepped at Sherwood High School in Sherwood, Oregon, where she was tabbed first-team all-conference as a libero last year.


Hayden Nash (Fr.; MB) - Nash prepped at Chatfield Senior High School in Colorado. She was a Jefferson County All-State Honorable Mention honoree in 2021 and named Jefferson County All-Conference and All-State in 2022.


Seiler Hruska (So.; RS/OH) - Hruska comes to Eckerd from Wright State, where she appeared in 19 matches in her freshman season. She averaged 1.81 kills per set with 67 kills.


Erin Garr (Jr.; OH/RS) - Garr comes to EC from Stony Brook. Last year, she played in 21 matches, totaling 114 kills and 1.70 per set. She posted double-digit kills in six matches.

Michelle Piantadosi-Lima enters her 12th year as head of the Tritons volleyball program. Her tenure has produced five trips to the NCAA South Regional tournament and eight AVCA All-Americans. Last year, she led Eckerd back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years. She guided the Tritons to one of the best seasons in program history with a 24-7 mark with three wins over nationally-ranked opponents, including a thrilling five-set victory in the McArthur Center over No. 4 Tampa, Eckerd's first win over UT since 2011. She guided Krysten Garrison and Anna Jungjohann to AVCA All-American honors.

Joining her on the sidelines is Jade Hayes, in her first season on the court. She coached alongside Piantadosi-Lima for the 2023 beach season before joining the indoor squad.

Returning Stat Leaders

Kills (259) - Stella Antypa (Jr.; OH)


Kills/Set (2.51)- Stella Antypa (Jr.; OH)


Assists (118) - Ashley Eck (Jr.; L)


Hitting Percentage (.230) - Kalli Schoening (Jr.; MB)


Aces (41) - Ashley Eck (Jr.; L)


Digs (471) - Ashley Eck (Jr.; L)


Blocks (89) - Kalli Schoening (Jr.; MB)


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2023 VOLLEYBALL QUICK LINKS

Eckerd opens the season at the NSU Shark Invitational on Friday September 1. They continue their road stretch at the Emmanuel Tournament before opening SSC play at Tampa. EC returns home on September 22 to host Florida Tech at 7:00 PM.

Eckerd was selected fifth in the SSC preseason poll. The Tritons look to improve on the ranking while making a bid for regionals. The Tritons look to shake up the conference with the regular season ending at Lynn on November 18.