MELBOURNE, Fla. (Volleyball) – Two days after earning its first victory over a ranked opponent since the 2010 season, Florida Tech is looking to spring another upset on Thursday when it faces Sunshine State Conference power, No. 8 Tampa in Tampa, Florida.
The Panthers (13-13, 4-10 SSC) enter the rematch with the Spartans (22-5, 11-1 SSC) fresh off a 3-1 upset of No. 17 Florida Southern on Tuesday. The win marked FIT's first win over a Top 20 opponent since knocking off No. 10 Eckerd in 2005.
Kim Juriga led FIT with 15 kills, three blocks and two digs, while Alea Hamm notched nine kills and four blocks. A freshman, Kiersten Rosa, had a tremendous match for the Panthers, contributing a season high seven kills, 30 assists and eight digs in the victory over the Mocs. Becca Bower continued to turn back FSC's attacks, finishing with a season-high 24 digs and four assists.
In the Panthers' previous match against Tampa, the No. 2 Spartans came away with a 3-1 victory on Oct. 10 in Melbourne. Four UT players recorded double-digit kills in the match, including a match-high 18 from Jessica Wagner. Berkely Whaley racked up a double-double on 17 kills and 11 digs.
Jenna Schaffer and Hamm paced FIT in the earlier contest with UT, each registering 11 kills. Juriga had a double-double for the Panthers on 10 kills, 12 digs and three blocks. Ashtin Truesdale initiated the FIT offense with 42 assists and 12 digs, to go along with three blocks.
Despite the loss, FIT did instill its will at the net against the Spartans. The Panthers finished with 10 more kills and forced UT into 18 attack errors, however the Spartans did produce a better attack percentage in the match, .309-to-.264.
The start time for the Panthers rematch with Tampa is set for 7 p.m. ET at the Bob Martinez Athletics Center. Fan can access live coverage at FloridaTechSports.com.
