ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (Volleyball) – On Friday afternoon, the Florida Tech Panthers (1-0) kick started the 2017 season throttling past the Shippensburg Raiders (0-2) at the Flagler Invitational. In a five-set battle, the Crimson and Gray clutched three sets in overpowering fashion to top the Pennsylvania-based team.

Leading the FIT offense, Kelly Germain collected 18 kills on 48 attempts, while junior right-side hitter Heather Bowersox accumulated 14 kills on 32 attempts. In 2016, Germain recorded 252 kills on 102 sets played, averaging 2.47 kills per set and taking the 12^th spot in SSC for seasonal kills.

Head Coach Amy O'Brien stated, "For our first regular season match, we started off pretty strong. We had Bowersox do an outstanding job for us on the right side." 

In the outing, Kiersten Rosa amassed an outstanding 45 assists. During the previous season, Rosa led the team with 866 assists within 105 sets of play, for an average of 8.25 assists per set. With her noteworthy record, Rosa ended her sophomore year ranked ninth for assists within the SSC leader board.

Defensively, junior middle blocker Olivia Hersey racked up four blocks, reinstating why she belongs in a top category within the Sunshine State Conference for blocks following the 2016 season. Sophomore defensive specialist Kyra Atkinson steadied the defense with a match-best 30 digs, the highest individually recorded between both teams.

As a team, the Panthers hit .263 while holding Shippensburg to a .160 clip, for a total of 65 kills and 82 digs. With the win, the Crimson and Gray now sits in third within the Sunshine State Conference standings.

O'Brien said, "It was a close match, but I'm glad we finished with the win."

Florida Tech will be back on the court tomorrow with two matches to conclude the Flagler Invitational. The first game will see the Panthers square up against the Purdue Northwest Lions at 2 p.m., followed by a match against the Flagler Saints at 7 p.m. ET.

For more info, fans can visit FloridaTechSports.com!