MELBOURNE, FLA. – The Florida Tech volleyball team hosted the Saint Leo Lions in an SSC matchup Friday night for the team's third Aloha Friday of the season. With a 2-0 lead by the Panthers, the Lions were able to come back to win the match 3-2. Cordelia Kearns was Tech's leader in kills, scoring 21 while Kenzie Delacher led the way with her eighth double-double of the season, scoring 28 assists and 17 digs.

FINAL: Florida Tech 2, Saint Leo 3
Records: Florida Tech (8-14, 2-10 SSC), Saint Leo (9-12, 4-8 SSC)
Locations: Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.

STATS OF THE MATCH:

First Set:

• Florida Tech started the match with a 5-0 run, highlighted by two kills from Antia Vallecas Rodriguez.
• Saint Leo's Oliwia Durka helped the Lions come back to within three points, still trailing 7-3.
• Tech jumped out to a seven-point lead, up 13-6, with Vallecas Rodriguez recording two kills in the run and Cordelia Kearns and Chiara Patelli reaching adding a kill to their stat line too.
• Ashley Rants, Patelli, and Kearns helped the Crimson and Gray lead 16-8 with each earning a kill.
• Seven of the next points would be earned by the Lions as they stormed back, down two at 19-17. Durka and Julia Panko highlighted Saint Leo's efforts with two kills from Panko and a kill and service ace delivered by Durka.
•  helped the Panthers extend their lead to 19-16 before kills from Vallecas Rodriguez and Rants put Tech up 22-17.
• A Kearns kill would put tech at set point, 2420, but not before Saint Leo would bring it to a one-point set at 24-23.
• Following a Tech timeout, an attack error by the Lions would give the Panthers its 25th point of the set and go ahead 1-0 in the match.

 
Second Set:

• Tech pulled out to a 4-0 lead with kills coming from Vallecas Rodriguez and Patelli.
• A Saint Leo timeout helped get the Lions back on their feet, scoring three straight points to trail by one.
• The Lions would go on to tie the set 8-8.
• A run by the Panthers bumped them ahead by five, 14-9.
• Another run from Tech would give them a seven-point lead, 17-10, with kills by Muñoz and Kari Voelstad Bogen.
• Tech's biggest lead of the set came, leading by 10 at 21-11 with Kearns recording two kills, Patelli a kill of her own, and Vallecas Rodriguez scoring a point off an ace.
• As Tech led 23-13, Saint Leo managed to come back scoring nine of the next ten points making it a 24-22 set.
• The Lion's comeback was led by Durka'a four kills.
• After a Tech timeout, Kearns would record the final point for Tech to give them a 25-23 set win and lead the match 2-0.

 
Third Set:  
 

• Saint Leo was first to score in the third set, pulling out to a 7-4 lead, with Durka scoring three more kills.
• A kill by Madi Certain put the Lions ahead 10-5.
•  A five-point rally by the Panthers tied the set 10-10 with Courtney Capar starting the Rally and Chiara Patelli's two sets helped to tie it up.
• Down 14-11, Tech once again tied the set 15-15, before taking a 17-15 lead over the Lions.
• Three more lead changes occurred between Tech and the Lions as it was tied 20-20.
• The Panthers managed to make it a 23-21 set off a Vallecas Rodriguez kill before Saint Leo scored four straight to win the set 25-22 and force a fourth set.
• The final point of the set came from a service ace by Tajma Muharemovic.

 
Fourth Set

• Both Teams would remain tied after the first ten points at 10-10 before Tech leaped ahead 8-5 with Muñoz and Patelli each recording a kill before both assisted for a block.
• With the Panthers ahead 10-7, Saint Leo regained the lead 12-10 as Durka recorded two more kills.
• Tech wouldn't regain the lead until they scored four straight to make it a 19-18 game.
• Saint Leo tied the set 21-21 before taking a 23-21 lead highlighted by two more kills from Durka and one from Panko.
• The Panthers fought back to tie the set 23-23, but two more kills by Durka secured the fourth set for the Lions to win 25-23 and bring the match to a fifth and final set.

 
Fifth Set:

• Both teams were tied, 3-3, before the Lions managed to edge ahead 7-3.
• A four-point run by the Panthers tied the set 7-7.
• The run came thanks to two service aces from Patelli and a kill from Kearns.
• Durka would record a kill, before making a service error as both teams remained tied 8-8.
• Tied still at 9-9, the Lions went on a run, scoring the final six points of the match, to win the fifth set 15-9 and comeback to win the match 3-2.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS

• Cordelia Kearns finished the match with 21 kills and eight errors in 55 attempts for a .236 hitting percentage.
• With 13 kills and one error in 32 attempts, Chiara Patelli finished with a .375 hitting percentage.
• Kenzie Delacher recorded 28 set assists, 17 digs, and three service aces.
• Jeanne Hassoun finished with 19 set assists.
• Patelli tallied six blocks with three solo blocks and three block assists while María Jesús Muñoz recorded five block assists in the match.
• Antia Vallecas Rodriguez led tech with 19 digs.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Saint Leo leads the all-time series against the Panthers 36-25 since 1993.
• The Lions have now won four of the previous six matches.
• Florida Tech is now 13-17 while at home against Saint Leo.
• With a double-double tonight it is Delacher's eighth of the season.
• With seven kills tonight, Ashley Rants has now recorded 200 kills in her Florida Tech career.

 
UP NEXT:
The Panthers will be back at the Clemente Center on Saturday, October 28 for their annual Dig Pink – Breast Cancer Awareness match against Eckerd. The match it set to begin at 4:00 P.M.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the Florida Tech volleyball team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.