HOOVER, Ala. (Volleyball) - After a daylong trip on Thursday, Florida Tech (5-7) conquered the first day of the South Regional Crossover, downing the University of Montevallo Falcons (7-9) in a four-set match on Friday night at the Finley Center.

After grabbing the first two sets 25-19 and 25-23 respectively, the Panthers had a troubled third set where they fell to the Falcons, 25-23. However, FIT quickly answered back in overwhelming fashion, as they rolled past Montevallo 25-17 in the fourth set.

Leading the Panthers offense, junior right side hitter Tania Kottke recorded a season-high 13 kills and three blocks, while junior middle-blocker Olivia Hersey tallied nine kills and four blocks.

Junior setter hitter Kiersten Rosa notched a game-high 39 assists, accompanied by 20 digs for her third double double of the season. Senior setter Nicole Fortuna and sophomore defensive specialist Kyra Atkison collected 20 digs apiece, making it a season-high for Fortuna.

As a team, Florida Tech accumulated 52 kills for a .134 game hitting percentage, while counting 47 assists, eight service aces, 14 block assists and 108 digs.

Opening up the game, FIT found itself trailing by two and quickly turned the game around to grab four straight points, putting the Falcons behind, 4-2. From there, the Crimson and Gray never lost the lead, taking a six-point run to tackle the first set, 25-19.

Although suffering an initial four-point deficit, the Panthers kept the scoring streak rolling, tying the game at 14 on a powerful kill by Kottke. However, Montevallo took the lead once more, putting FIT behind 19-16. Trailing by three, Florida Tech roared back and picked up five straight points, coming from three kills and one service ace, to overlap the Falcons, 21-19. FIT would go on to claim Set 2, 25-23.

After the intermission, FIT outhit the Falcons .115 to .109 in the third set, but could not hold a large enough lead to get the win.

Entering the fourth with matching tempos, two kills from Kottke and one kill from Kelly Germain put the Panthers ahead of the Falcons, 7-4. The Crimson and Gray continued striking hard however, utilizing an eight-run lead to propel past Montevallo 25-17 to take home the first win of the South Regional Crossover.

The Panthers will return to the Finley Center tomorrow to conclude the South Regional Crossover. Florida Tech will square up against the University of West Georgia Wolves at 11 a.m. ET, and face the Union University Bulldogs at 5:45 p.m. ET.

Fans can access more information about the events at FloridaTechSports.com!