Daytona Beach, Florida – The Panthers were back in action tonight in the first edition of the Kármán Clash on the road against Embry-Riddle. With a brand new rivalry trophy up for grabs and coming off a big win over Rollins on Saturday, Tech knew another win tonight would be huge to continue building momentum early in the season.
MATCH THREE – SSC PLAY
Final: Florida Tech Panthers 3, Embry-Riddle Eagles 2
Set Recap: (15-
25), (
25-22), (
27-25), (19-
25), (
15-11)
Records: Florida Tech (7-4, 2-1 SSC)
| Embry-Riddle (9-4, 2-1 SSC)
Location: ICI Center
| Daytona Beach, Florida
MATCH NOTES:
First Set: Florida Tech 15, Embry-Riddle Eagles 25
- After a long rally to open the match, the Eagles grabbed the first point and jumped out to a 2-0 lead.
- Tech got on the board due to multiple errors from the Eagles, but ERAU remained in the lead 6-3.
- The first block of the match came from Ashley Rants to earn the Panthers a big point, but Tech was still down early.
- Rants also earned the first kill of the match for the Panthers, but more than halfway through the first set, the Eagles led 16-6.
- A spree of kills from Cordelia Kearns helped Tech close the gap as they pulled within eight points.
- Despite the comeback effort, ERAU pulled away for the final time to take the first set.
Second Set: Florida Tech Panthers 25, Embry-Riddle Eagles 22
- Needing to flip the script, Tech came out motivated in the second set. They opened with a 5-0 lead behind great defense from the back row and a big block from Elisa Broggio.
- ERAU was able to get on the board but kills from Ashley Rants and Cordelia Kearns kept the Panthers out in front.
- More elite defense and multiple blocks had the Panthers leading 10-3 early into the set.
- Unfortunately for Tech, ERAU went on a huge run to tie the set up at 12-12 before taking the lead 14-13.
- Kills from Hadley Waldren and Ashley Rants put an end to the Eagle run, and the Panthers were able to tie the set up at 16.
- Both sides began trading points, but the Panthers regained the lead (20-19) after a big block from Cordelia Kearns and Hadley Waldren.
- More kills from Kearns and Isabelle Clark helped the Panthers take full control of the second set and tie the match at 1-1
Third Set: Florida Tech Panthers 27, Embry-Riddle Eagles 25
- Both sides traded points to begin the third set before the Panthers went on a huge run.
- Kills from three hitters and blocks from two others pushed the Tech lead to 9-4 in the early stages of the set.
- Much like the previous set, ERAU battled back and eventually tied the set at 10-10.
- The set again went back and forth, leading to a deadlock at 15 before the Eagles took their first lead of the set.
- The ERAU lead did not last long as Hadley Waldren and Scarlett Kimbrell combined for a big block to re-tie the set.
- Elisa Broggio joined the block party, and the set remained tied at 18-18.
- The Panthers took the lead on a huge Cordelia Kearns kill, but both sides continued going blow for blow as the set was again tied at 21-21.
- Kearns added another big play, this time a big solo block, which was followed by a Scarlett Kimbrell kill to take a 23-22 lead.
- Following two straight Eagles points, a Kimbrell kill sent this match to extra points, tied at 24.
- After ERAU took a 25-24 lead, a big kill from Hadley Waldren kept the Panthers in the set.
- Ashley Rants delivered a huge kill after stellar defense from the Tech back row, and an Eagle attack error gave the Panthers a 2-1 match lead.
Fourth Set: Florida Tech Panthers 19, Embry-Riddle Eagles 25
- After a huge third set by the Panthers, they kept the momentum going into the fourth set and led 2-0 from the jump.
- The Eagles, down to their final life, went on a run in a hurry and not just tied the set but took the lead at 5-4.
- Following back-to-back Cordelia Kearns kills, the Panthers were back in it, and both teams began battling back and forth.
- The Eagles found a spark and used a 10-4 run to take a big lead in the fourth set.
- Just when it looked like ERAU was going to run away with the set (leading 20-12), the Panthers came storming back with a huge run of their own.
- Tech closed the gap and trailed by just three points (22-19) with big kills from Cordelia Kearns and Ashley Rants as well as service aces from Kari Voelstad Bogen.
- Despite the comeback effort, the Eagles put away the set and sent this match to a fifth set.
Fifth Set: Florida Tech Panthers 15, Embry-Riddle Eagles 11
- After an electric four sets, this match heading to a fifth set was no surprise.
- Tech opened the match with a Cordelia Kearns kill, but the Eagles responded with a 3-0 run to take the lead.
- The Panthers ended the run with a block, and following an Isabelle Clark kill, only trailed by one.
- A service ace from Kearns and a huge block from Scarlett Kimbrell tied the match at 6-6.
- Both sides traded kills, but it was the Panthers taking the lead at the switch after an attack error from the Eagles.
- Following another ERAU error and an Ashley Rants kill, Tech led 10-7 with all the momentum.
- Elisa Broggio came up big with a kill and a block to put the Panthers three points away from victory.
- The Eagles attempted a comeback, but a block and two errors from the Eagles gave the Panthers the win.
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- With her 29 kills tonight, Cordelia Kearns has reached 1,000 for her Panther career. She becomes the second player to reach this milestone in three seasons.
- Tonight's win snaps a five-game losing streak for the Panthers and is the first road win over ERAU since 2022.
UP NEXT: Tech will return home to the Clemente Center this weekend. The Panthers will host Saint Leo this Saturday at 4:00 PM. This match is the Panthers Breast Cancer Awareness game, supported by the Florida Breast Cancer Society. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match in support of the cause.
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.
