LAKELAND, Fla. – Florida Tech Volleyball was back in action on Saturday afternoon with a Sunshine State Conference match up against Florida Southern at George W. Jenkins Field House. In a match that seemed to go in every possible direction, the Panthers ultimately fell victim to a Moccasin comeback late in the fourth set and fell just short of making one of their own in the deciding fifth set.
MATCH EIGHT: SSC PLAY
Final: Florida Tech Panthers 2, Florida Southern Moccasins 3
Set Recap: (17-25), (25-10), (30-28), (21-25), (12-15)
Records: Florida Tech (4-12, 2-6 SSC) | Florida Southern Moccasins (10-6, 5-3 SSC)
Location: George W. Jenkins Field House | Lakeland, Florida
MATCH NOTES:
First Set: Florida Tech Panthers 17, Florida Southern Moccasins 25
- The Panthers took the match's first two points thanks to an Ayisha Missipo kill and a Mocs error.
- FSC countered by reeling off the next five points courtesy of three kills, a duo block and an error.
- The teams split the next five points Missipo, Isabelle Clark and Cordelia Kearns giving Florida Tech some life.
- After Florida Southern extended their lead to 12-7, a 5-2 Crimson and Gray run led by two kills from Missipo, one from Elisa Broggio, a duo block by Clark and Kearns and a Natalie Rhodes service ace made it a two-point game.
- The Moccasins made their decisive move in the set by going on a 7-1 run that featured five kills and two blocks.
- Tech reeled off three points following a timeout through a Scarlett Kimbrell kill and two errors to shrink the deficit to 21-16 but would get no closer.
Second Set: Florida Tech Panthers 25, Florida Southern Moccasins 10
- The Crimson and Gray took eight of the set's first 11 points thanks to two kills from Clark, one from Kearns, a duo block by Broggio and Clark, a Sophia Schneider ace and four Moccasin errors that led to an FSC timeout.
- Florida Tech would take four of the next five points after the timeout through a Broggio kill, duo blocks from Broggio/Clark and Clark/Missipo in addition to two Florida Southern errors, which lead to the Mocs huddling up once again at 13-4.
- The Panthers would not allow for a route back into the set, taking eight of the next 11 points out of the break thanks to two kills from Kearns, one from Kimbrell, one from Missipo, and a Broggio/Clark duo block to go with four Moccasin errors.
- Three more kills from Kearns and another from Clark brought Tech even at one set apiece.
Third Set: Florida Tech Panthers 30, Florida Southern Moccasins 28
- The teams split the first 12 points of the third set with the Crimson and Gray propelled by three Kearns kills and a block by Clark and Abby Koenen.
- At 6-6, Florida Southern would go on a 5-1 run.
- The Panthers would show fight, however, as they would respond with a 6-2 run of their own to even the set at 13. Bringing Tech back into it were two kills by Kearns, one each from Clark, Kimbrell and Koenen as well as a Broggio/Clark duo block.
- The teams split the next six points before FSC called a timeout at 16-16.
- Following the timeout, the two teams alternated the next 13 points before an FSC service error and a Missipo kill along the sideline put Florida Tech up one and serving for set point.
- Florida Southern recorded two kills of their own following a timeout and swung to set point in their favor.
- A Moccasin service error brought the set level at 25, but Florida Tech would have to dig deep after a Moc kill.
- Kearns and Clark each recorded kills to put the Crimson and Gray up 27-26, but Florida Southern broke serve and the teams traded points once again to bring the set to 28 all.
- A set in which it seemed neither team would break was brought to an end when Florida Southern had consecutive attack errors.
Fourth Set: Florida Tech Panthers 21, Florida Southern Moccasins 25
- The Panthers rode the momentum from the close of the third set to take six of the fourth set's first eight points with Clark posting two kills, Kearns recording one along with the pair teaming up for a block.
- Florida Southern would respond with a 7-3 run keyed by a pair of aces.
- A back-and-forth pattern would emerge once again as the teams then split the ensuing eight points before a Clark kill and Sophia Schneider service ace gave the Crimson and Gray a 15-13 advantage, forcing FSC to call a timeout.
- After the huddle, a Clark kill, a Kearns ace and a Moccasin error extended the Panther advantage to 18-14, leading to another timeout.
- The Mocs sprung back to life as a 7-1 surge gave them a 20-19 lead through three kills, two aces and errors.
- After a Florida Tech timeout, an ace and two more Florida Southern kills pushed their lead to 23-19 and forced the Panthers to call another timeout.
- The Panthers would claw two points back, but the deficit proved too much, and the match would head to a tie-breaking fifth set.
Fifth Set: Florida Tech Panthers 12, Florida Southern Moccasins 15
- The Moccasins opened the fifth set with momentum on their side and took three of the first four five-point runs through two kills, an ace and an error.
- After a Kearns kill, the Moccasins ripped off another three points for a 6-2 advantage to force a Tech timeout.
- After the huddle, the Crimson and Gray took five of the next seven points through two kills from Clark, one from Kearns and Missipo and a Kimbrell/Missipo duo block to shrink the deficit to 8-7.
- After a Moccasin timeout, Kimbrell won her one-on-one match up at the net for the solo block to tie the set at eight.
- Three consecutive Panther errors put FSC back on top, 11-8.
- After a Tech timeout, a Kimbrell kill and Hanna Schneider ace cut the deficit to one.
- Florida Southern maintained the lead thanks to a tip and after Kearns brought Tech within one again, FSC responded with back-to-back kills to serve for match point.
- Kearns' 19th kill of the day kept the Panthers in the match at 14-12 but it would be Florida Tech's final point of the afternoon.
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
UP NEXT: Florida Tech will conclude their five-game road trip on Tuesday, October 13th with another SSC match up as they face #11 Lynn at the de Hoernle Sports & Cultural Center. First serve is scheduled for 7 P.M.
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.
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