MELBOURNE, Fla. - On Saturday evening, Florida Tech (9-13, SSC 4-12) closed the regular season home stretch after dropping a 3-2 nail biter to Lynn (8-14, SSC 6-10) at the Titan Field House.

After clawing the first two sets in overpowering fashion, the Panthers battled head-to-head with the Fighting Knights, but eventually dropped all three consecutive sets.

As a team, FIT outhit Lynn .213 to .203, recording 74 kills against Lynn's 65. The Crimson and Gray also held a 67-64 edge in assists, while tying with the Boca Raton lineup in blocks with nine.

Leading the Florida Tech offense, juniors Kelly Germain and Olivia Hersey notched 20 kills apiece, hitting .268 and .308 respectively. Additionally, senior Samantha Reeves pitched in with 13 kills for a team-best and match-high .462 clip, while freshman Brianna Garza added seven kills to the Panthers total.

Junior Kiersten Rosa leaves the home hardwood with her 11 seasonal double-double, combining 61 assists and 11 digs. Sophomore Sheila Villagrasa led the FIT defense with a team-high 22 digs, closely followed by fellow sophomore Kyra Atkinson with 20.

At the net, Florida Tech recorded 16 block assists and one block solo. Reeves and Hersey collected four block assists each, while Garza, Germain and junior Tania Kottke picked up two apiece.

In the first set, the Panthers bested the Fighting Knights by nine kills and accumulated a .203 hitting percentage, while ceasing the Lynn offense to a .087 clip. In the stanza, both teams traded points aggressively, until the 28-point where FIT snatched two back-to-back points to clutch the set, 30-28.

Moving into the second set, Florida Tech dominated the entire time, recording a match-best .513 hitting percentage on 21 kills. After the Fighting Knights took a 14-13 lead, the Panthers turned the game around and tied the score on a five-point run to seal the second stanza, 25-20.

Returning from intermission, Lynn jumped out to an early lead to move past FIT 10-4. The Panthers struggled to breach through the Fighting Knight defense and eventually dropped the set, 25-20. Heading into the fourth trailing by two, the Boca Raton team took a five-point streak to overlap FIT 6-1. The Crimson and Gray fought back, with Reeves and Germain combining for two kills to tie the game at 10-10. After two more ties, Lynn eventually took the lead and closed the set, 25-22.

With the match tied at two sets apiece, the teams entered the tiebreaker. After alternating seven ties and seven lead changes, Florida Tech ultimately succumbed to Lynn, as the Fighting Knights took a three-point run to win the fifth set, 15-12.

Next up, the Panthers will hit the road and travel to Tampa on Friday, Nov. 10 to face the Spartans at 7 p.m. ET.

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