PENSACOLA, Fla. - UWF (3-1) wrapped up the opening weekend of the 2024 season with a pair of sweeps against two squads receiving votes in the preseason Top 25 in Spring Hill (0-4) and Oklahoma Baptist (2-2) in games 3 and 5 on the final day of the 2024 edition of the Springhill Suites Invitational. The No. 20 Argonauts finished with the second-best record in the event behind only No. 11 Southwest Minnesota State, who did not drop a set all weekend.
 
WEST FLORIDA 3, SPRING HILL 0 (32-30, 25-12, 25-18)
 
The Argos took almost every category on the stat sheet on the way to their 23rd win over Spring Hill in as many meetings and 20th via sweep. It didn't appear that would be the result, however. The Badgers stunned UWF by jumping out to a quick 7-2 lead over the hosts with a potent offense that yielded five kills in that span. After trading points, the Argos came back with a 6-1 run in which Damyah Joyner and Jenna Zydlo scored kills and the defense induced four errors. 
 
The lead proceeded to jockey back and forth between the sides all the way to point 25, as seven set points were reached between the teams and subsequently broken until the one that finally stood for the Argos in a sequence that evoked shades of last year's GSC Championship match. When Joyner gave her team point 25 in the second set point, two kills from Spring Hill flipped the script before the same occurred with set points 27 for UWF and 28 for SHC. Cate Wright tied things back up with a kill before the Argos answered another Badger kill and set point with a Caiden Largent kill and a Taylor Teaman ace. The next point equalized things again at 30 apiece but two errors gave the Argos the 1-0 advantage at long last.
 
The loss took the air out of the Badgers' sails and it showed in Set 2 as the Argos took advantage with a .382 frame and held the visitors to 0.0 hitting. Leading 6-4, UWF scored the next five points with two Zydlo kills and a kill and ace from Wright. The Argos kept the onslaught going as a kill by Joyner and back-to-back ones from Wright gave their team its first double-digit lead of the day at 20-9 and allowed them to coast to the 2-0 lead. 
 
The runs didn't stop there for the hosts, as the Argos hit .195 in the third set while holding SHC to just .043. Emily Breazeale started off the frame with an ace and a kill. The lead grew to 3-0 on a kill by Nikki Deslatte, as the grad transfer middle blocker from USC Upstate entered and played for the first time as an Argo. The Badgers eventually got within one before a 7-1 run by the Blue and Green with three errors, a block by Deslatte and Joyner and kills from those two and Wright. Spring Hill still refused to go away, scoring five of six points to get within four before Kumara Flanagain responded with a pair of kills. Camryn Brooks added one to get to set point, and Deslatte scored one more of her own to finish off the match.
 
Joyner, Zydlo and Wright all scored seven kills in the matchup, with Joyner's good for a .500 performance. Largent had eight kills and five digs. Moulton had 31 assists and Teaman had five with 19 digs. Brooks and Wright had seven digs apiece, sharing third place on the stat sheet there behind Meg Brackhan's nine.  
 
WEST FLORIDA 3, OKLAHOMA BAPTIST 0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-19)
 
West Florida kept things rolling against the Bison in the nightcap, outperforming the latter on offense .257 to .091. Trailing early 4-2, Annie Monaco, Wright and Joyner scored consecutive kills ahead of a solo block by Joyner to give UWF the lead for good in the opening frame even as OBU inched closer. A kill from Moulton and an ace by Brackhan increased the Argo lead to 20-15. The Bison scored the next four points to get within one, but Breazeale and Zydlo responded with kills to put the opponents at arm's length ahead of another Monaco kill and a pair of errors to get the first set checked off the list. 
 
It was more of the same in the second set as Joyner and Delaney Hanowell opened it with kills and Monaco with an ace. Those three, along with Wright, Zydlo and Moulton, provided the Argos with the majority of their offense in the period, in several cases with consecutive scoring plays. Trailing 19-11, the Bison came roaring back with an 8-2 run that got them within two, but the Argos beat them back with a block from Moulton and Hanowell, consecutive kills from Joyner once again and the set-clinching kill by Hanowell. The offense reached .419 in the frame while holding OBU to .241. 
 
The hosts made their presence felt on the defensive side in the third set, holding another opponent to a 0.0 frame while hitting .212. Tied at 5 apiece, the next three kills were from the hand of Joyner, continuing her monster performance. Three of the next Argonaut points were by Zydlo, with two kills and a solo block. Zydlo's next kill and block followed two more kills from Joyner, and an additional error made the score 22-14. The Bison had one more push left in them in a 5-0 run to get within two once more. Zydlo promptly added one more kill and Teaman back-to-back aces, the latter of which hit the top of the net and landed perfectly on OBU's side to finish off the weekend on a high note.
 
Joyner was absolutely unstoppable, with 13 of her 21 attacks finding the floor for an incredible .571 hitting percentage, making that two .500 performances in one day, along with two blocks, one solo and one assisted. Monaco and Zydlo had eight kills apiece in .421 and .462 matches, respectively, with the latter adding two solo blocks. Hanowell assisted on three blocks to go with four kills to wrap up her second day of college volleyball. Monaco, Brackhan and Teaman each fired a pair of aces.
 
The Argos are back in action in another tournament at the UWF Field House next weekend, the Outback Invitational. The team will play at the same times it did this weekend. UWF will again play three opponents receiving votes in the preseason poll, starting at 11:30 on Friday against Wingate, who advanced as far as the South Atlantic Conference championship match and NCAA Southeast Regional semifinals last season.
 
For more information, please visit GoArgos.com or follow the program at @UWFVolleyball on Facebook, X and Instagram.

2024 Springhill Suites Invitational All-Tournament Team
OH Saari Kuehl (SMSU)
L/DS McKenzie Tolk (SMSU)
S Gabi Moulton (UWF)
MB Jill Leslie (OBU)
RS Damyah Joyner (UWF)
OH Leah Jones (SMSU)
S Sydney Thein (SMSU)
MB Avery Hellmuth (OBU)