TAMPA, Fla. - Heading into the end of the 2017 season, Florida Tech (9-14, SSC 4-13) fell in a three-set decision to the Tampa Spartans (15-13, SSC 10-7) on Friday Night at the Bob Martinez Athletics Center.
Despite holding a 3-0 edge in blocks and a 7-3 advantage in service aces over the Spartans, Florida Tech struggled to break through the score and eventually dropped to Tampa 25-20, 25-13, 25-20.
As a team, the Crimson and Gray recorded nine kills for a .149 hitting percentage, to go with 28 assists and 52 digs.
Leading at the net for FIT, junior Tania Kottke notched nine kills on a .333 clip, while senior Samantha Reeves hit a team-best .455 on five kills.
Returning to the hardwood after a two-month absence due to injury, junior Heather Bowersox picked up three kills for a .429 hitting percentage.
Junior Kiersten Rosa ended the night outing with 15 assists, increasing her seasonal total to 602. Rosa currently holds the seventh spot in SSC for assists, with a 8.14 assists per set average. The Mims native also counts 11 double-doubles and one triple-triple, the highest record among the FIT lineup.
Sophomore Sheila Villagrasa pitched in with 11 assists, and closely follows Rosa with 187 assists. In the outing, Villagrasa also collected her first seasonal block solo.
In the back row, sophomore Kyra Atkinson controlled the defense with 13 digs, bumping up her personal total to 416. With her number, Atkinson now ranks sixth in the SSC for digs, averaging 4.78 digs per set.
In the first set, 16 Spartan kills and a .292 clip allowed the home team to jump out to an early lead, as Tampa clinched the first stanza 25-20, and held FIT to a .175 clip on 12 kills.
Entering the second set, FIT struggled to create momentum and fell to Tampa's 14 kills, 25-13. Returning from intermission, the Panthers took a 1-0 lead on a Bowersox kill, but quickly found themselves trailing by two. Roaring back, Kottke and Bowersox joined forces, and balanced the score at 5-5. From there, the teams exchanged five more ties and lead changes, until Tampa took a five-point run to close the match 25-20.
Next up, the Panthers will step on the Jenkins Field House hardwood to face No. 24 Florida Southern. Teams will line up at 4 p.m. ET.
For more info, please visit FloridaTechSports.com.
