MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Florida Tech volleyball team came away with their first home victory of the season in a 3-1 win over Flagler. Despite going down in the first set, the Panthers fought back, taking the next three over the Saints.
 
MATCH ONE
FINAL: Florida Tech 3, Flagler 1 (21-25, 25-19, 31-29, 25-17) 
Records: Florida Tech (5-3, 0-0 SSC) Flagler (4-4, 0-0 PBC)
Locations: Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.
 
STATS OF THE MATCH:
First Set:

• Both teams matched punch-for-punch for almost half of the first set, with the Saints holding the highest lead at two points, 9-7.
• However, Flagler scored three consecutive points to take a 10-9 lead. The set continued to be back and forth, but the Saints had a slight advantage.
• Flagler broke free with two slams from Gracie Fleming and Amelia Fitzpatrick, which led to them taking a 15-12 lead before the first Florida Tech timeout.
• Florida Tech rallied with a massive kill from Cordelia Kearns and assisted blocks from Lilian Muszynski and Tessa Mati. The Panthers tied the match back up at 15 a piece.
• A couple of errors from both sides kept the match even at 18-18.
• Amelia Fitzpatrick on Flagler found an opening in the court, earning an ace. Then, Molly Boyd blocked a Panthers' kill, helping the Saints regain a three-point lead.
• After a Florida Tech timeout, the Saints rolled off two more points, extending their lead to 23-19.
• Cordelia Kearns stopped the Saints' momentum, grabbing her fourth kill of the match. She later notched her fifth, keeping the Panthers' first-set chances alive.
• Unfortunately, Flagler earned the final point, taking the opening set 25-21

Second Set:

• Flagler grabbed the first points of the set then each team traded services aces, giving the Saints a 2-1 advantage.
• The Saints didn't last too long. Chiara Patelli started a three-point run with a kill from the middle of the court.  
• Florida Tech extended the lead to two after Kearns laced a ball to the court, and Jeanne Hassoun tallied a service ace, helped by the ceiling rafters.
• Meredith Dixon and Jordan Berglin erased the Panthers' lead, smacking a kill and a block to the floor. The Saints 10-8 lead forced a Panthers' timeout.
• Out of the timeout, Mati put a soft touch on the ball for her third kill of the match. After a few traded points, Muszynski put the hammer down for a 13-13 tie.
• Muszynski was finding her groove, going up for a solo block, then an assisted block in two straight rallies for an 18-15 Panther lead. The timeout called following the two blocks did not slow her down as Muszynski went up for her sixth total block of the match.
• The Panthers were up 20-16, and Musynski made a return with another solo block. Florida Tech's Kearns wrapped up the set at 25-19 with a rocket at Flagler's middle blockers.

Third Set:

• Flagler got an early 3-1 lead, but Florida Tech earned two straight points with kills from Kitson and Kearns. The Saints took back the lead, going on a three-point run.
• Kearns led the Panthers to an 8-8 tie with three kills during a slight stretch. She compiled 15 total on the match.
• At 9-9, Florida Tech pulled away to a 13-9 advantage, tallying five consecutive points, including two Patelli kills and two Kenzie Delacher service aces.
• The Florida Tech train kept moving, maintaining the 19-14 lead while forcing another Flagler timeout. Kearns added three more kills to her total, and Hassoun tallied an ace.
•  Flagler fired three straight service aces, pulling within three points. Eventually, the Saints took the lead late in the set, 24-23, but a service error tied it at 24 a piece.
• Neither team wanted to give up the crucial set; however, a service error and a Muszynski kill gave the Panthers the set.

Fourth Set:

• Tech kept the momentum from the third set, grabbing an early 9-4 lead. Kearns sniped four more kills to her lofty 24, which ties her career high.
• Four different Panthers recorded a point, holding a consistent six-point lead over the Saints.
• Antia Vallecas Rodriguez and Muszynski sniped two kills, extending the Florida Tech lead to 20-13 before Flagler used a timeout.
• After the timeout, Muszynski's 6'4'' frame notched her 10th block. Mati added a kill and Kearns an ace for a 23-14 Saints deficit.
• The Saints battled back with a 4-0 stretch, but it was not enough to close the large Florida Tech gap.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Cordelia Kearns led with a career-high 26 kills and 15 digs. Kearns has tallied 10 or more kills in every game this season and 20-plus for the third time.
• Kari Voelstad Bogen and Kearns compiled the most digs with 15.
• Lilian Muszynski knocked down a career-high 10 total blocks, including. six solo blocks

 BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Florida Tech earned its 10th all-time victory over Flagler, holding a 10-7 record since 1993
• Panthers are 6-1 against the Saints in Melbourne since 1993.
• This was the first meeting between the teams since September 2, 2017, and the first meeting at the Clemente Center on October 7, 2008.   
• Flagler has won the past five matchups, with Florida Tech's last win being a five-set victory on September 11, 2010, in Savannah, GA.  

UP NEXT:
The Panthers remain at home, hosting Rollins College on Tuesday, September 24, at 7 p.m. for Greek Night.

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.