Lakeland, Florida – Florida Tech Volleyball wrapped up the regular season this afternoon against Florida Southern. The Panthers came into the season finale looking to clinch winning seasons in back-to-back years for the first time since 2007-2008.
MATCH TWENTY – SSC PLAY
Final: Florida Tech Panthers 3, Florida Southern Mocs 0
Set Recap: (
25-18), (
25-23), (
25-21)
Records: Florida Tech (15-13, 10-10 SSC)
| Florida Southern (12-16, 6-14 SSC)
Location: Jenkins Fieldhouse
| Lakeland, Florida
MATCH NOTES:
First Set: Florida Tech 25, Florida Southern 18
- Cordelia Kearns opened the scoring with two kills, and Kelly Merz followed that up with a service ace to spark an early run for the Panthers as they led 4-0.
- The Mocs got on the board, but the early dominance from Tech continued, leading 8-1 out of the gate.
- The Panthers could not do wrong in the first half of the set as the lead grew to 14-3 with kills from Kearns, Hadley Waldren, and Devyn Glassgold plus a block from Isabelle Clark.
- Florida Southern made a small run, but Tech still led by double-digits, 17-7.
- Both sides began trading points but the huge lead for the Panthers kept them out front comfortably as they hit the 20-point mark leading by nine.
- Kills from Kearns, Waldren and Elisa Broggio helped the Panthers close out the first set and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
Second Set: Florida Tech 25, Florida Southern 23
- While the second set began with a Moccasin 5-1 lead, a 4-0 run from the Panthers got them right back in the set.
- Both teams went back and forth until another 4-0 run from the Panthers had them out front 11-9 after kills from Cordelia Kearns and Isabelle Clark.
- The trading of runs continued as the Mocs used one of their own to retake the lead.
- Tech got kills from Kearns and a solo block from Hadley Waldren but trailed 18-14 late in the second set.
- Not going down without a fight, the Panthers went on another run and after multiple Moc errors, had cut the lead to one point at 22-21.
- A Devyn Glassgold kill and a huge block from Clark and Kearns, the second set was tied at 23.
- Cordelia Kearns gave the Panthers a one-point lead at set point and Scarlett Kimbrell finished the set with a block as Tech took a 2-0 lead in the match.
Third Set: Florida Tech 25, Florida Southern 21
- Cordelia Kearns began the third set with back-to-back kills and Hadley Waldren added another as the Panthers opened the third set with a 4-0 lead.
- The Mocs got on the board but Tech continued to swing with force as they led by multiple points.
- With the scoreline 6-4 Tech, kills from Devyn Glassgold, Elisa Broggio and Scarlett Kimbrell sent Tech on a 7-2 run as they grew the lead to 13-6.
- Kari Voelstad Bogen and the Panther defense continued to dig at an elite pace to keep Tech out in front.
- Despite the great defense, Southern found their groove and used a 5-0 run to get back into the set.
- After the Mocs tied the set at 16-16, a Hadley Waldren kill gave the Panthers back the lead.
- Both teams traded points until Isabelle Clark earned a kill and Courtney Capar registered a service ace to put Tech back in front 21-19.
- More kills from Kearns and Moc attack errors allowed the Panthers to finish the match strong and leave Lakeland with a sweep.
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- The Panthers have finished the regular season schedule with a winning record in back-to-back seasons.
- Cordelia Kearns reaches the 500-kill milestone for the season. She joins herself from 2024 and Alys Thomas as the only Panthers to hit the 500 mark for a single season.
UP NEXT: The NCAA DII Volleyball Selection Show will decide the Panthers fate as they hope to earn an at-large bid to regionals. The selection show will air live on NCAA.com on Monday, November 24
th, at 7:30 PM.
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech Volleyball, 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.
