Volleyball team beats No. 18 Daytona State in straight sets

The Eastern Florida State College women's volleyball team picked up their first state tournament win in over 15 years on Friday, defeating No. 18 Daytona State College in straight sets.

The Titans defeated the Falcons 25-23, 25-23, 25-23 to advance in the FCSAA State Tournament. Eastern Florida State College will play the loser of Friday's Polk State College and Florida Southwestern match. Both teams are ranked in the top 10 in the country.

On Friday, the Titans came out strong with a 5-1 lead and kept it until late in the set when the Falcons tied it up 19-19. Maredis Colon had two big kills down the stretch including the set-winning kill to post the win.

Daytona State College took the early lead in the second set, but the Titans went on a run, scoring five straight points to take a 15-9 lead. The Falcons would once again make it close, tying the match 23-23 but after a timeout the Titans won the final two points to take a 2-0 lead.

Trailing 11-10 in the third set, Giselle Giraud had two straight kills to give the Titans a lead for the first time in the set. Cassandra Gregory had a couple of kills and the duo of Desiree Cruz and Madeline Browne gave the Titans an 18-13 lead. Daytona State would make it interesting, cutting lead to 24-23 but Gregory put it away with a kill. 

Giraud finished with 20 kills and 15 digs while Maredis Colon had 14 kills and a career-high 23 digs in the win.

Anaeli Perea had a career-high 35 digs in the match. It is the most digs for a Titans player since 2013 when Alana Nielander finished with 37. Gregory finished with 12 digs.

The Titans will play at 1 p.m. Saturday and if they win will play again at 7 p.m. for a spot in the semifinals. The semifinals and final will be held on Sunday at Florida State College at Jacksonville.