MELBOURNE, FLA. – Florida Tech Volleyball was back in action this evening to face Saint Leo University. In a match where both programs looked to get back in the win column,
Cordelia Kearns,
Olivia Bush and
Isabelle Clark shined to secure a big win.
MATCH FOURTEEN: SSC PLAY
Final: Florida Tech Panthers
3, Saint Leo Lions 1
Set Recap: (22-
25), (
25-20), (
25-16), (
25-16)
Records: Florida Tech (7-16, 4-10 SSC)
| Saint Leo Lions (5-20, 1-14 SSC)
Location: Clemente Center
| Melbourne, Florida
MATCH NOTES:
First Set: Florida Tech Panthers 22, Saint Leo Lions 25
- The Panthers came out swinging in the first set. Olivia Bush, Cordelia Kearns and Isabelle Clark produced six kills to give Tech an early 7-2 lead.
- Responding to the Tech run, Saint Leo exploded for a 12-2 run to completely flip the momentum to their side.
- The Panther front row forced a pair of Lion attack errors to end the run, but Tech still trailed 14-11.
- Following more Lion points, Kearns and Bush earned kills and Elisa Broggio and Scarlett Kimbrell combined for a block.
- Tech worked to pull within two points of SLU at 22-20, but despite more kills from Kearns, the Lions hung on to take the opening set of the match.
Second Set: Florida Tech Panthers 25, Saint Leo Lions 20
- The second set began as a back-and-forth affair, with both sides earning kills to reach a tied score of 3-3.
- Three straight kills from Olivia Bush helped the Panthers take the set's first multi-point lead at 9-6.
- Much like the first set, Saint Leo stormed back with a 5-0 run to take the lead.
- This time, however, the Panthers responded right away with a 3-0 run of their own to take back their advantage at 14-13.
- Following another run from the Lions, the Panthers dug deep again. Down 19-16, Tech ignited a monster 9-1 run behind key points from Bush, Clark, and Natalie Rhodes to win the set and tie the match at 1-1.
Third Set: Florida Tech Panthers 25, Saint Leo Lions 16
- After a huge comeback win in the second set, the Panthers took that momentum into the third. Three straight kills from Cordelia Kearns and another ace from Elisa Broggio put Tech in the lead 8-4 early in the third set.
- Saint Leo cut into the Panther lead, but more kills from Olivia Buhs and another from Scarlett Kimbrell sent Tech on a 7-1 run.
- Leading 15-7, Kearns and Bush continued to stack kills and Elisa Broggio and Scarlett Kimbrell executed another block as the Tech advantage grew to 12 points at 20-8.
- The Lions showed fight, but another block from Kimbrell, plus a dump kill from Rhodes helped the Panthers close out the set.
Fourth Set: Florida Tech Panthers 25, Saint Leo Lions 16
- To begin the fourth set, Cordelia Kearns produced three straight kills for an early Panther lead.
- Saint Leo pulled the scoreline even at 4-4, but kills from Bush and Clark gave the lead right back to Tech.
- After both sides traded points, McCoy Phister earned an ace to extend the Panther lead back to multiple points at 15-12.
- It was at this point in the set that Isabelle Clark took over. The Local product earned back-to-back blocks and a pair of kills to give the Panthers full control of the set.
- Leading 20-14, Clark produced two straight kills and called game with a solo block at set point to secure the Panther victory.
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
UP NEXT: The Panthers will have a quick turnaround for their final match of the weekend. Tech will host Eckerd College at 4:00 PM tomorrow.
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.
