Jacksonville, FL—Our Lady Eagles Volleyball team rode a wave of strong hitting and defense to two four-set victories over Toccoa Falls College and Trinity College of Florida during day one action at the NCCAA North/South Tournament in Jacksonville, FL.

Baylee Jensen led the team with 24 kills on the day, while Hannah Grooms picked up 36 assists between the two contests. Anna Grace Carrick, Brooke McLeod, and Jasmine Baldonado drove the defense with a combined 110 digs.

Pensacola 3, Toccoa Falls 1

The Lady Eagles started the day with a commanding 3-1 victory over Toccoa Falls College (26-24, 25-13, 26-28, 25-22). The team fell behind in the first set, but was able to rally late in the set to secure a critical first set victory over a team the Eagles had lost to 4 times during the 2017 season.

In the second set, the Lady Eagles began to display their new high powered offense led by sophomore Baylee Jensen. Jensen along with Jasmine Baldonado, and Hannah Harmon combined for six kills in the 2nd set. Strong hitting and even better defense proved to be crucial in the Lady Eagles 2nd set victory.

The third set saw a back and forth battle ensue. Toccoa Falls College, with their backs against the wall, battled the Lady Eagles throughout the 3rd set. Again, the Lady Eagles offense continued to drive the team forward, but ultimately, the Screaming Eagles came away with a third set victory to stave off defeat.

The fourth set would prove to be the final set of the match. The Lady Eagles jumped out to an early lead and rode the strong hitting of Baylee Jensen and Jasmine Baldonado, nine combined kills in the set, to a 3-1 set victory over Toccoa Falls College.

Pensacola 3, Trinity College of Florida 1

In their 2nd game of the day, the Lady Eagles went on to finish off another 4 set victory over Trinity College of Florida (25-19, 20-25, 25-18, 25-6). The Lady Eagles were forced to battle the scrappy Tigers in the 1st set of the game. The two teams traded points until the Lady Eagles, behind the strong play of senior Hannah Harmon, pulled away late in the set to secure a 25-19 victory over the Tigers.

In the second set of the match, the Lady Eagles were unable to shake the Tigers. Despite leading 1-0 heading into the 2nd set, the Tigers came in determine to secure a set in the match. Baylee Jensen added 4 kills in the set, but it wasn't enough to secure the victory. Trinity College of Florida went on to secure the 2nd set 25-20.

The third set saw the Lady Eagles wrestle control of the match back from the Tigers. The team survived a slew of hitting errors in the third set on their way to an important third set victory. The Lady Eagles headed into the 4th set with a commanding 2-1 lead over the Tigers.

In the 4th set, the Lady Eagles stymied the Tigers. The Lady Eagles went on to record 10 kills compared to just 2 errors on their way to a dominant 25-6 victory in the final set. With the win, the Lady Eagles completed the day one sweep and moved to 6-2 on the season including a 3-0 record inside SOUTH Region play.

After the game, Head Coach Calyn Ohman was very proud of her team's performance. She said, "We came out really strong today against Toccoa Fall College and Trinity College of Florida. Our strong hitters and the defense really played extremely well for us!"

On the day, the Lady Eagles recorded 83 kills between the two games. Hannah Grooms and Hannah Adkins combined for 68 assists. Junior captain Anna Grace Carrick anchored the back line with a 45 digs.

With the results, the Lady Eagles moved to 6-2 on the season including a 3-0 record in conference play. They will return to action on Saturday, September 8 with two matches against Bob Jones University at 10:00 am and Johnson University of Florida at 2:00 pm.