MELBOURNE, Fla. (Volleyball) - The conference woes continued for Florida Tech (6-16, 0-10 SSC) against Sunshine State Conference rival Rollins (10-13, 2-7 SSC) on Tuesday night as the Panthers lost a five-set heartbreaker on the road in Winter Park.
 
It looked as though it was turning out to be a sweep for the Tars as they took the first two sets 25-19 and 25-16. However, FIT responded with a pair of narrow victories in the next two frames, 25-22 and 25-23, to force a decisive fifth set.
 
The Tars came out strong and held a lead throughout much of the final frame, eventually winning the set 15-12 and the match 3-2 over Florida Tech.
 
Olivia Hersey paced the Panthers with 16 kills on team-high hit percentage of .387 to go along with three blocks. Kelly Germain notched a double-double on 14 kills and 15 digs, while Abigael Brenke added eight kills. Heather Bowersox and Kiayna O'Neal each recorded six kills in the match as well as combined for five blocks.
 
Kiersten Rosa had an all-around match for FIT, racking up 31 assists, 15 digs and five kills. Sheila Villagrasa also produced a double-double on 12 assists and 10 digs, while Becca Bower collected a team-best 20 digs in addition to seven assists.
 
Bri Civiero and Shannon McDonough controlled the match for Rollins. Civiero finishing with 25 kills, 23 digs, three aces and two blocks, while McDonough notched 24 kills, 15 digs and two blocks.
 
Gina Cappetta dished out a match-high 61 assists. Cappetta, Rebecca Wilson and Rachel Sawyer each recorded 14 digs.
 
The SSC road trip continues for Florida Tech as it travels to Saint Leo for a matchup with the Lions on Thursday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. ET. Access links to live coverage at FloridaTechSports.com.