MIAMI SHORES, Fla. (Volleyball) – Senior Caitlyn Ballweber recorded an impressive .520 hitting percentage to lead Florida Tech to a 3-1 victory over Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla. The win was the first Sunshine State Conference victory for the Panthers (9-4, 1-2) and first-year head coach Amy O’Brien.

“Tonight we played good, solid volleyball,” O’Brien said. “We served tough, had good serve receive and were able to put the ball down.”

The Panthers found themselves down one set to nothing after dropping the opening stanza 25-14. The Crimson and Gray responded by rattling off three straight victorious sets.

Junior Angie Lassman and senior Erin Hughes led the Panthers defense, recording 19 and 16 digs, respectively. Senior Alexis Mastela added a team-high 37 assists. Junior Kaitlin Brennan added 7 kills to go with Ballweber’s 16.

FIT never trailed in the second set, earning a 25-18 victory after beginning with a 12-3 run. In the third set, the Panthers trailed 14-11 before tallying 10 straight points to take a 21-14 lead. The squad would go on to win the set 25-17. Finally, in the fourth set, Barry remained neck-and-neck with FIT before the Panthers used a 5-1 run to take a 20-15 lead, one the team would never relinquish.

“Caitlyn Ballweber and Kaitlin Brennan really stepped up for us tonight,” O’Brien said. “Now we need to bring that same enthusiasm to our game tomorrow at Nova.”

The Panthers return to action Saturday evening, traveling to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. for a matchup with Nova Southeastern. The match is set to begin at 4 p.m.