CARROLLTON, Ga. (Volleyball) – Despite dropping its last four matches, Florida Tech was optimistic heading into this weekend's South Region Crossover in Carrollton, Georgia. It turned out that the Panthers (9-7) had reason for optimism as they put a stop to their losing streak with two wins Friday over Gulf South Conference opponents Christian Brothers (6-13) and West Georgia (3-15).

In the opening match of the Crossover, FIT jumped out to an early 2-0 lead over Christian Brothers. However, it looked as though the Panthers' victory was going to slip away as the Bucs answered with wins in the third and fourth sets to force a decisive fifth game. In the final stanza, FIT was able to pounce on their opponent and hold on to win the set and the match 3-2 with set scores of 25-18, 28-26, 18-25, 23-25, 15-11.

A number of Panthers had their best performances of the season against CBU. Seniors Kim Juriga and Alea Hamm notched season-highs with 15 and 14 kills, respectively. The two classmates also combined for 10 of the team's 14 blocks in the match. Senior Ashtin Truesdale also set a new season-high with 45 assists, while sophomore Becca Bower also had her best showing of the season registering 24 digs in the win.

The Panthers made easy work of their second opponent, sweeping West Georgia (25-15, 25-19, 25-12). FIT's defense was relentless against the Wolves, collecting eight total blocks and holding UWG to just 19 kills in the match. Offensive efficiency was on display as FIT registered just 13 errors on 90 attempts for an attack percentage of .344, setting a new season-high for the team.

Junior Jenna Schaffer paced FIT with 13 kills, while freshman Olivia Hersey added seven kills and two blocks. Hamm, Juriga and fellow senior Cassidy Ziech produced three blocks each in the victory. Truesdale recorded a match-high 34 assists to go along with her four digs and three kills. At libero, Bower contributed a match-high 16 digs and six assists.

FIT completes its crossover slate with a 2:30 p.m. ET contest against Mississippi College (2-19) on Saturday. This will be the first ever meeting between the Panthers and Choctaws.                                                                                                                       

If available, live coverage can be accessed on FloridaTechSports.com.