PENSACOLA, Fla. - No. 20 UWF (1-1) kicked off 2024 with a bang against a pair of tough squads in Day 1 of the 2024 Springhill Suites Invitational at UWF Field House, defeating Wheeling (0-2) in four sets before falling in a sweep to No. 11 Southwest Minnesota State (2-0) in a day of high-flying offense.
 
WEST FLORIDA 3, WHEELING 1 (26-24, 25-27, 25-21, 25-14)
 
The Argonauts rode a .231 offensive performance to a 3-1 victory over Wheeling (0-2) in the program's fourth season-opening and fifth consecutive win over the receiving-votes Cardinals. 

The main difference: Gabi Moulton. The sophomore setter picked right up where she left off last fall, when her play won her GSC Freshman of the Year honors, and didn't stop until she earned the first triple-double in UWF volleyball history. She racked up 48 assists, 11 digs and 10 kills on a .500 hitting day to pace the Argo offensive. 

Joining the list of difference-makers for the Argos were a pair of seniors. Damyah Joyner kicked off her season with a vengeance, punishing the ball for 15 kills and a .324 percentage to go with three block assists. Jenna Zydlo made her presence equally felt, with 15 kills of her own with just one error, good for .438.   
 
Three first-year players saw action in all four frames. Delaney Hanowell put up nine kills, five block assists and six digs in her first collegiate action, while fellow true freshman Taylor Teaman drew the start at libero and put up 24 digs and five assists. Merrimack transfer Cate Wright added five kills. Meg Brackhan and Caiden Largent tallied 12 and 10 digs, respectively. Redshirt freshman Camryn Brooks, also in her first playing time as an Argo, added nine scoops to the back line's stellar outing that helped hold Wheeling to .196.
 
UWF started fast, going up 5-0 with kills from Zydlo and Joyner and three errors. Setter Karly Nielson, who put up a whopping 48 assists, got things within reach again for the visitors with a kill and assist and was helped by Riley Kindall catching fire, as the sister of UWF volunteer assistant Haley Kindall led Wheeling with 20 kills. The Argo offense got humming here, and the Cardinals were ultimately left to play catch-up. A 5-0 Wheeling run tied things up at 23 apiece, but after a trade of points, a Joyner kill combined with an error put UWF up 1-0. 
 
Wheeling fought back and took a back-and-forth second frame by scoring six of the final eight points, including fending off a UWF set point and later scoring the final two kills to break a 25-all frame. The Argos restored order in the third, using an early 4-0 run to take a 5-2 lead, which they would keep the rest of the match.
 
After the Cardinals tied it at 8-8 in the fourth frame, the Argos responded with a 4-0 span capped by a Hanowell kill and a block she shared with Joyner. Wheeling then got within two points, but the 15-13 lead ballooned thanks to Annie Monaco. The senior outside hitter earned a kill and stepped behind the service line ahead of another kill from Moulton, where Monaco proceeded to fire three consecutive aces that fired up her bench. Kills by Zydlo and Moulton combined with two errors meant that Monaco did not leave the service line until the Argos had set point at 24-13, a 9-0 run in all. After Riley Kindall scratched back one more point for Wheeling, Zydlo finished things off with one last kill. 
 
SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE 3, WEST FLORIDA 0 (25-21, 28-26, 25-19)
 
UWF fought hard in the nightcap against SMSU but could not overcome a .31 first set and a .252 offensive output from the Mustangs, sitting nine spots above the Argos in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll. The Mustangs led for the majority of the first and third sets and beat back every UWF push. 
 
After a back-and-forth opening frame, the Argos had two three-point leads in the second, the second at 22-19 before the Mustangs scored five of the next six points to reach set point. Hanowell responded with a kill and solo block to turn the tables with a 25-24 set point, but SMSU used three errors and an ace for a 4-1 to clinch the frame. Later, with a narrow 10-9 lead in the third set, the Mustangs pulled off a 9-2 run to put this one out of reach. 
 
Monaco led the team with 10 kills. Hanowell had eight kills and Zydlo added eight. Emily Breazeale, in her first action of the young season, scooped 10 attacks, as did Teaman and Brackhan. Moulton continued her tear with 33 assists. 
 
The Argos open their Day 2 slate with a 2 pm match on Saturday against Spring Hill (0-3) before playing in the tournament finale at 7 pm versus Oklahoma Baptist (2-1). 
 
For more information, please visit GoArgos.com or follow the program at @UWFVolleyball on Facebook, X and Instagram.