TAMPA, FLORIDA– The Stony Brook volleyball team started off the South Florida Tournament going 2-0 on Friday. In the afternoon match against Jacksonville, they defeated the Dolphins 3-2 (25-14, 25-20, 19-25, 22-25, 15-6). The Seawolves then continued their winning ways later in the day against San Jose State. The team won 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 26-24).

Coach Belzung's Reaction
"Jacksonville stressed us with a fast tempo offense, and I was impressed with our composure in the fifth set after struggling to adjust in the third and fourth. Our seniors played like seniors and carried us offensively."

 "To turn around and compete after an hour and thirty minutes of rest is challenging, and I thought our team was incredibly mentally tough to maintain their discipline defensively in that situation. Especially at the net. It wasn't a clean second match, but we fought and I'm proud the group earned the win."

By the Numbers vs. Jacksonville
- Senior McKyla Brooks (Blasdell, N.Y.) and graduate student Emily Costello (Webster, N.Y.) led the way against the Dolphins with 17 kills each.
- Junior LeAnne Sakowicz (Wauconda, ILL.) notched 48 assists.
- Junior Kardasia Hitchcock (Alexander City, Ala.) tallied 15 digs.
- Costello also had 16 digs.
- Stony Brook hit .299 (62-18-147) in the victory.
 
By the Numbers vs. San Jose State
-  Brooks added 10 more kills against the Spartans.
- Costello tallied eight more kills.
- Hitchcock notched 14 more digs in the victory.
 
Notes
- This is the first time Stony Brook has faced Jacksonville and San Jose State.
- Freshmen Paige Jaeger (Oconomowoc, Wisc.) and Sabrina Patriciello (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) made their Seawolves debuts in the Jacksonville match.
- Brooks now has 926 career kills. 
-Stony Brook starts the season 2-0. The last time the team had that record to open the year was 2013. 

 Up Next
The Seawolves wrap up the South Florida Tournament with a match against USF Saturday at 1 p.m.