MELBOURNE, Fla. (Volleyball) – Looking to bounce back from a rough weekend in South Florida, the Florida Tech (11-12, 2-9 SSC) returns to the Clemente Center for a three-match homestand that kicks off Tuesday night against Saint Leo (16-8, 7-4 SSC). Florida Tech will also welcome Sunshine State Conference foes Eckerd on Friday and Florida Southern next Tuesday during the homestand.
This is the second meeting between FIT and SLU this season. FIT was unable to muster-up much offense in that first matchup, as the Lions came out on top 3-1 on Oct. 2 in Saint Leo, Florida.
Marilyn Dick led the Panthers with just nine kills and five digs, while Ashtin Truesdale tried to jumpstart the squad with an all-around performance of 30 assists, eight digs, two blocks and two kills. Jenna Schaffer registered a team-high attack percentage of .312 on seven kills, but as a unit, FIT managed to hit just .179 at the net compared to .282 by SLU.
Three Lions finished with double-digit kills in the earlier contest, paced by Hope Lemon's 15 kills. Anna Siruckova and Jillian Stolzenburg added 14 and 13 kills, respectively. Ashlee Hodgskin recorded a match-high 47 assists and Jamee Townsend notched a match-best 15 digs in the win.
The Panthers enter the rematch with SLU after losing its last two contests against SSC rivals Lynn (3-0) and Nova Southeastern (3-1) on the road this past weekend. With the results from this recent trip, FIT is now 0-9 in road matches versus current and prospective SSC opponents. However, it has been a very different story for the Panthers on their home court, where the team has compiled a record of 6-2.
FIT is hoping to earn a seventh win at Clemente this season against a Lions squad that just ended its own two-match losing streak, on losses to No. 5 Tampa (3-1) and No. 14 Palm Beach Atlantic (3-1), with a 3-2 victory over Barry on Halloween.
The Panthers' match against SLU is set for 7 p.m. ET. Fans that are unable to attend can access live coverage at FloridaTechSports.com/live.
