MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Florida Tech volleyball team opened Sunshine State Conference (SSC) play with a sweep of Rollins, 3-0, on Tuesday night at the Clemente Center.
 
Final: Florida Tech 3, Rollins 0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-20)
Records: Florida Tech (7-3, 1-0 SSC), Rollins (9-3, 0-1 SSC)
Location: Charles and Ruth Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.
 
STATS OF THE MATCH:
 
First Set:

• The Panthers began the first set with a 9-2 run with six points coming from Chiara Patelli and Cordelia Kearns.
• Rollins chipped away and brought the set with five points, 12-7.
• Tech answered right back with an 8-3 run to go up 20-10.
• The Tars attempted a comeback, but the Panthers bared down and scored the last two points of the set to come away with a dominant 25-15 win.

 
Second Set:

• The teams began the second set trading the first few points. A kill from Irene Kitson put Tech on top 4-3.
• Kitson's kill sparked a 9-3 run to put the Panthers up 12-6.
• Rollins didn't back down and rattled off a 6-3 run to bring the lead down to 15-12.
• After some back and forth, Tech reached the 20-point mark with a kill from Tessa Mati to give the Panthers a 20-15 lead.
• Tech closed out the set with a 5-2 run capped off by a kill from Kearns to earn a 25-17 set two win and take a 2-0 lead over the Tars.

 
Third Set:

• Rollins began the set with a 2-0 lead, but the Panthers responded with four straight points on a block, an ace, and two kills.
• After trading a few points, the Tars rattled off a 7-1 run to take a 9-7 lead.
• Mati stifled the run with a kill and started an 8-2 run for the Panthers to retake the lead, 15-11.
• The teams exchanged the next eight points until back-to-back kills in the middle from Lilian Muszynski put Tech on top 20-15.
• The Panthers would maintain that lead through the final point to win the set, 25-20, and earn the sweep over Rollins, 3-0.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS

• Chiara Patelli recorded 11 kills at a blistering .733 hit percentage, with zero errors. She also added six blocks and three service aces to her line.
• Irene Kitson totaled six kills and five blocks.
• Tessa Mati added seven kills a solo block.
• Kari Voelstad Bogen led the team with 13 digs.
• Kenzie Delacher led the team with 20 assists.
• Cordelia Kearns led the team with 14 kills. She also added 11 digs.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Florida Tech moves to 28-35 all-time against Rollins, including a 15-16 record at the Clemente Center.
• This was the Panthers' first win at home against Rollins since Oct. 10, 2022.
• Tech's 7-3 start to the season is the best record since the 2015 squad which also started 7-3.

 
UP NEXT: Florida Tech will continue conference play this weekend against Embry-Riddle on Friday, Sept. 27. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Daytona Beach, Fla.
 
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.