ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA. – Florida Tech Volleyball traveled north on I-95 this evening for their last non-conference match of the season against Flagler College.
MATCH NINE: NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
Final: Florida Tech Panthers
3, Flagler College Saints 2
Set Recap: (
25-23), (21-
25), (16-
25), (
25-18), (
15-11)
Records: Florida Tech (6-14, 3-8 SSC)
| RV Flagler College Saints (20-3, 9-0 PBC)
Location: Flagler Gymnasium
| St. Augustine, Florida
MATCH NOTES:
First Set: Florida Tech Panthers 25, Flagler College Saints 23
- Flagler opened tonight's match by winning the first two points before Cordelia Kearns got Tech on the board with a kill.
- Both sides began going back and forth, with kills from Scarlett Kimbrell and Olivia Bush helping the Panthers tie the scoreline at 6-6.
- An ace from Hanna Schneider followed by a block from Kearns and Kimbrell gave the Panthers their first lead of the set. More kills from Kearns extended the lead to 10-6 Tech.
- The Saints made a run to close the gap, but a Brooke Menke ace and a kill from Isabelle Clark kept Tech out front 15-13 at the media timeout.
- Ayisha Missipo became the fifth different Panther to earn a kill in the first set and Kimbrell added another one as the Panthers grew their advantage back to four at 19-15.
- After an insane one-handed save from Hanna Schneider that led to a Panther point, the momentum was fully on Tech's side as they looked to close out the first set.
- Schneider then stepped up to serve and produced an ace and Cordelia Kearns put the set away with a kill.
Second Set: Florida Tech Panthers 21, Flagler College Saints 25
- After taking the first set, the Panthers came out swinging in the second. The Panthers ignited an 8-2 run to take an early lead.
- Isabelle Clark was the star of the second set, opening the set with a kill, producing a service ace and combining with Scarlett Kimbrell for a block in just the first ten points.
- Flagler worked to close the gap, but kills from Olivia Bush and Cordelia Kearns kept the Panthers out front.
- The Saint comeback effort was officially complete as they took their lead of the second set at 12-11.
- Another kill from Clark and a handful of errors from Flagler kept the Panthers within striking distance.
- Trailing 17-15, Olivia Bush and Cordelia each produced a pair of kills, but Tech was unable to string points together.
- With Flagler still leading by one at 20-19, Elisa Broggio picked up her second kill of the match to tie the second set.
- Despite the Panthers hard effort to tie the set up at 20-20, the Saints used a 5-1 run to take the second set and tie the match at 1-1.
Third Set: Florida Tech Panthers 16, Flagler College Saints 25
- Cordelia Kearns opened the third set with a kill, but it was Flagler who exploded for a 6-1 run to take an early lead.
- The Panthers answered back with a trio of kills from Clark, Missipo and Bush to pull within one point.
- Down 11-10, three straight kills from Broggio, Clark and Kearns gave the Panthers back the lead at 13-11.
- However, Flagler answered right back with a 10-2 run to take a 21-15 lead late in the set.
- Aly Dennison put an end to the run by earning her first-ever collegiate kill, but the Saints responded with a 4-0 run to win the third set.
Fourth Set: Florida Tech Panthers 25, Flagler College Saints 18
- Needing a response, the Panthers began the second set by winning the first two points with Cordelia Kearns producing a solo block.
- Flagler got on the board and both sides again traded points through the early part of the set.
- With the scoreline tied at 4-4, neither team took a lead of more than one point. The Panthers got big time blocks from Kimbrell and Broggio plus kills from Clark, Bush and Kimbrell.
- With the score 13-13, it was the Panthers who took the first multi-point lead with a 6-1 run. Scarlett Kimbrell produced two big kills and Cordelia Kearns earned a solo block.
- Leading 19-14, Missipo Kearns and Kimbrell all picked up another kill to win the set and force a fifth.
Fifth Set: Florida Tech Panthers 15, Flagler College Saints 11
- With all the momentum on the Panthers side, Tech came out swinging to start the fifth set.
- Olivia Bush and Scarlett Kimbrell started the set with a big time block and Brooke Menke found the back corner of the court for a service ace.
- This sparked a huge 7-2 run and put the Panthers in complete control of the set.
- Not going away quietly, Flagler stung points together to cut into the Panther lead, but after two straight kills from Ayisha Missipo, Tech led 12-8.
- The story of the fifth set was the Panther block; after Missipo and Kimbrell combined for another one for the Panthers, the set total was up to five.
- The Saints cut the lead back to three points, but another Kimbrell and Bush block put the match away.
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
- Cordelia Kearns – 13 Kills, 13 Digs
- Kimbrell / Clark / Bush – 24 Kills, 7.5 Total Blocks
- Aly Dennison – 20 Assists, 1 Kill (Both Career Highs)
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Panthers snap Flagler's 19-match winning streak, which was the second longest in the country.
- Cordelia Kearns has eclipsed 1,000 digs with 13 tonight, becoming the second player in program history with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career.
- The Panthers are now 4-1 in five-set matches this season.
UP NEXT: The Panthers will stay on the road for one more match this week. Tech will travel south to West Palm Beach to take on Palm Beach Atlantic on Thursday, October 22
nd at 6:00 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.
SCHOLARS. LEADERS. CHAMPIONS.
