MELBOURNE, Fla. (Volleyball) - Despite the season-high 14 kills from junior setter/outside hitter Kiersten Rosa and a match best 9.5 blocks, Florida Tech (7-10, SSC 2-9) dropped in a four set decision to No. 25 Saint Leo (13-5, SSC 2-9) on Saturday afternoon at the Clemente Center.

The Panthers outhit the Lions .254 to .211 in the match, recording an impressive match-high .441 clip in the first set. The Crimson and Gray also held a 57-51 advantage in assists and a 61-56 edge in kills. 

Rosa finished with her first triple-triple of the season, adding 32 assists and 15 digs to her 14 kills for a .440 hitting percentage. In addition, junior middle blocker Olivia Hersey left the hardwood with 12 kills for a .205 clip and a team-best eight block assists.

Junior right side hitter Tania Kottke recorded 11 kills with a .259 hitting, while freshman outside hitter Brianna Garza averaged a .135 hitting with nine kills. Freshman outside hitter Audrey Keenan notched a team-best .583 clip to go with eight kills, two assists and one block assist.

FIT began the match with a kill by Kottke to give the Panthers an opening 1-0 lead. The teams then traded points, until FIT took a 14-8 scoring run, which forced Saint Leo to draw a timeout. The Crimson and Gray offense kept rolling, and FIT reeled off six points to put the Lions at distance 20-10. Pressuring Saint Leo at the net, two kills coming from Keenan and one from Rosa fastened the first set for Florida Tech, 25-11.

The second set saw Saint Leo battling back against the Panthers' momentum, grasping a 6-2 lead. However, Florida Tech gained points back up to a one-point deficit, which was soon halted by a kill from Victoria Omoregie. The point marked the beginning of a 4-0 run for Saint Leo that took the score to 16-12. Four kills and three block assists shortened the gap for FIT 24-22, but the Panthers eventually dropped the second stanza to the Lions, 25-22, tying the score at 1-1.

After suffering an initial 3-0 deficiency after intermission, Florida Tech responded with a four-point streak to overlap the Lions 4-3. The Panthers kept building confidence, as two Hersey kills added to a couple of misplayed balls by the Lions brought FIT ahead 8-6. From there, the teams exchanged two ties and two lead changes, which saw Saint Leo overlap Florida Tech 20-17. Garza, Hersey and Rosa combined in three kills to decrease the Lions stretch by two, but Saint Leo held back the FIT offense and took the set, 25-22.

The opening of the fourth hosted a quick point's trade, as the score was tied in a back-to-back sequence up to 7-7. Kills from Rosa, Keenan, Hersey and Garza earned FIT a one-point run, which brought the score to 14-13. However, Saint Leo turned the set around, collecting five straight points to move ahead of the Panthers 20-15. Although two kills from Keenan moved the score to 23-19, the Lions secured two final points to seal the victory, 25-19.

The Panthers will face Rollins on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. ET at Clemente Center. Prior to the match, Florida Tech will recognize its senior class of 2017.

For live coverage of the event, fans can access FloridaTechSports.com.