GREENWOOD, S.C. – The Florida Tech volleyball team began its 2024 campaign with a pair of wins over Tusculum and the host school Lander on day one of the Redderson Invitational.
 
MATCH ONE
FINAL: Florida Tech 3, Tusculum 0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-12) 
Records: Florida Tech (1-0, 0-0 SSC) Tusculum (0-2, 0-0 SAC)
Locations: Finis Horne Arena | Greenwood, S.C.
 
STATS OF THE MATCH:
First Set:

• Tech opened the season with the hottest possible start, opening with the game's first seven points and a 10-3 run. In the opening barrage, Chiara Patelli recorded two kills while Maria Jesus Munoz provided two service aces.
• The Pioneers responded with a 5-0 run to shrink the Panther lead to two. 
• Thanks to three kills from Munoz and a pair of kills from Lilian Muszynski, the Panthers withstood the charge and pushed the lead back out to 17-12. 
• Tusculum would bring the margin back to within 17-14 but would not get any closer. 
• Florida Tech's close to the set was powered by three Cordelia Kearns kills and a service ace courtesy of Jeanne Hassoun. 
• Hassoun's kill earned the Crimson and Gray the victory for the opening set. 

 
Second Set:

• The ensuing frame had little separation as over the set's first 34 points, neither team had a lead larger than two. 
• The Panthers closed strong with a 10-0 run thanks in part to three kills by Munoz, one each from Muszynski and Lexi Lueger, two aces through Kearns, and three Tusculum errors. 
• Patelli was in form, providing four kills and an ace over Tech's first 14 points.
• Kelly Merz added two service aces during the set. 

 
Third Set:

• Florida Tech started strong once again, this time jumping out to an 8-1 lead through three more kills from Kearns and two by Patelli ace, who also recorded an ace. 
• The Pioneers were unable to shrink their deficit to any lower than seven after that. 
• Newcomers Scarlett Kimbrell and Irene Kitson sealed the victory by recording the game's final two kills.
• Leading the way for the Crimson and Gray in the third set was Munoz, who contributed five kills in the stanza, and Kearns, who added five kills and a service ace. 

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Cordelia Kearns led the way with 13 kills, nine digs three aces, and a career-best .455 hitting percentage. 
• Chiara Patelli provided 11 kills, three digs, two aces, and a .529 hitting percentage. 
• Maria Jesus Munoz added 10 kills, four digs, two service aces, and a .444 hitting percentage.  
• Kenzie Delacher contributed 20 assists and nine digs. 

 
 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• The Panthers now lead the all-time series, 2-0, after winning last year's meeting in Winter Park in four sets. 
• Tech is now 6-4 in season-opening games over the past ten years. 
• The Panthers' .372 hitting percentage is the 10th-best single-game mark in program history and the best since a .383 mark against Daemen on September 13, 2014. 
• With her three block solos, Lilian Muszynski moves into tenth place in program history with a total of 50.
• This was the 21st double-digit kill game of Cordelia Kearns' career. 
• Maria Jesus Munoz and Chiara Patelli each recorded their 10^th career double-digit kill game.

 
MATCH TWO
FINAL: Florida Tech 3, Lander 1 (18-25, 25-16, 25-14, 25-21) 
Records: Florida Tech (2-0, 0-0 SSC) Lander (2-1, 0-0 SAC)
Locations: Finis Horne Arena | Greenwood, S.C.
 
STATS OF THE MATCH:
First Set:

• The Panthers scored the first point of the match, but Lander answered back with six straight points to take a 6-1 lead.
• Later in the set, a 4-1 run with a pair of kills from Munoz and Kearns brought Tech within two, 9-7.
• An ace from Delacher would tie the set at 11-11.
• The Bearcats came back with a 7-2 run to take an 18-13 lead.
• Both teams traded points down the stretch, but Lander would take the first set, 25-18.

 
Second Set:

• Lander took an early 3-1 lead to begin the second set, but back-to-back kills from Muszynski and Kearns, and a Bearcat error put Tech on top 4-3.
• Tied at 6-6, the Panthers rattled off a 10-1 run to extend to take a 16-7 lead. The run was highlighted by three aces and a kill from Kearns.
• That would be all Tech would need as the teams exchanged points for the rest of the set. Muszynski earned the kill for the final point of the set to tie the match at 1-1.

 
Third Set

• The third set saw the teams exchange the first 10 points. Tied at 5-5, a 7-2 run gave the Panthers a 12-7 lead.
• The Bearcats responded quickly and brought the lead down to two, 14-12.
• That was as close as Lander would get as Tech caught fire and closed out the set with an 11-2 and earned the third set win, 25-14.

 
Fourth Set:

• An early 4-0 run from the Bearcats gave them a 6-4 lead over the Panthers.
• Tech responded and quickly took the lead back with a quick 3-0 run capped by a block and a kill from Muszynski.
• An ace from Hassoun extended the Panthers lead to 11-7.
• Lander bounced back with a 7-2 run and took back the lead, 14-13.
• Following a timeout, Tech scored four straight points to make it 17-14.
• After an exchange of points, Tessa Mati earned a kill to end the threat from Lander and give the set its final score of 25-21, and give the Panthers the win, 3-1.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Kearns led the way again with 15 kills, 14 digs, and three aces.
• In her Panther debut, Tessa Mati provided 10 kills and two block assists.
• Munoz added nine kills and eight digs.
• Muszynski contributed four solo blocks and three block assists to go with eight kills.
• Hassoun contributed 26 assists and nine digs. 
• Kari Voelstad Bogen led the team with 16 digs.

 
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