Melbourne, Florida – Florida Tech Volleyball took to the Clemente Center court for the first time in 2026 on Friday evening as they began Sunshine State Conference play against Nova Southeastern. In a game that had everything in front of a packed home crowd, the Panthers dug deep, rallying from facing match point in the tie breaking fifth set to earn the win.
MATCH ONE: SSC PLAY
Final: Florida Tech Panthers
3, Nova Southeastern Sharks 2
Set Recap: (
25-11), (
25-20), (20-
25), (20-
25), (
16-14)
Records: Florida Tech (3-6, 1-0 SSC)
| Nova Southeastern Sharks (7-5, 0-1 SSC)
Location: Clemente Center
| Melbourne, Florida
MATCH NOTES:
First Set: Florida Tech Panthers
25, Nova Southeastern Sharks 11
- The Sharks registered the game's first two points before Tech ran off a 6-0 thanks to two kills from Cordelia Kearns and a kill and service ace from Isabelle Clark.
- Nova Southeastern drew within 7-5 before the Panthers won back the serve thanks to an Abby Koenen.
- With Natalie Rhodes serving, the Crimson and Gray then earned the next eight points to take a commanding 16-5 lead thanks to two aces from Rhodes, three kills from Elisa Broggio and another from Kearns.
- That proved the deciding set in the stretch as the Sharks would not draw within single digits for the remainder of the set.
- Two kills from Clark, one from Kearns combined with five NSU errors, allowed Florida Tech to cruise to a 25-11 victory.
Second Set: Florida Tech Panthers
25, Nova Southeastern Sharks 20
- The teams split the first ten points of the second set before Nova won five of the next seven points through three errors.
- The Crimson and Gray responded with a 10-4 run to take a 17-14 lead thanks to three kills from Ayisha Missipo and two from Kearns and Scarlett Kimbrell.
- The Sharks got off the mat with a 5-2 run to even the set at 19.
- Two attack errors put Tech back on top before NSU cut the deficit to one.
- They would get no closer as an attack error and kills from Kearns, Kimbrell and Broggio put the Panthers up two sets to none.
Third Set: Florida Tech Panthers 20, Nova Southeastern Sharks
25
- Nova Southeastern were a revitalized team to start the third frame, opening with an 8-2 run and pushed their advantage to as large as 12-4 before the Panthers called a timeout.
- Two kills from Missipo, one from Kearns, a Broggio ace and an NSU error brought the Crimson and Gray within 14-9.
- The next four points were all through errors before consecutive blocks by Kimbrell and a Kearns kill brought Florida Tech within 16-14.
- Following a timeout, a Rhodes ace and two Broggio kills gave Tech the lead.
- The Sharks held their nerve amidst a boisterous crowd and closed the set on an 8-2 run powered by seven kills.
Fourth Set: Florida Tech Panthers 20, Nova Southeastern Sharks
25
- Buoyed by their third set win, Nova Southeastern opened the fourth with momentum in their favor, taking five of the first six points.
- From there, Tech clawed their way back to within 10-9 thanks to Broggio providing a kill and an ace, two kills from Missipo and four Shark errors.
- NSU kept its composure and ripped off a 4-0 error to extend their advantage to five and force a timeout.
- Out of the timeout, Nova continued to hold steady, splitting the next 12 points for a 20-15 lead.
- Two kills from Kearns, two errors and a Rhodes ace brought Florida Tech to within 22-20 and a chance to close the game out.
- However, three consecutive kills by Nova Southeastern ensured the game would go to a tie-breaking fifth set.
Fifth Set: Florida Tech Panthers
16, Nova Southeastern Sharks 14
- The fifth set would see the game reach its dramatic peak with Panthers winning six of the first nine points through three Kearns kills and three Nova errors.
- However, the Sharks got off the mat once again, winning the next four points to take the lead.
- The next six points were split evenly before Florida Tech went on a 4-0 run through kills from Clark, Koenen and Missipo along with a Broggio ace.
- At 13-11, it appeared Tech had earned match point, but a replay review awarded the point to Nova Southeastern, who promptly took the next two points to be on the precipice of victory themselves.
- Following a Panther timeout, a Shark service error, a duo block by Clark and Koenen and an attacking error allowed the Crimson and Gray to surge to victory.
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Scarlett Kimbrell's 10 total blocks mark the eighth time a Panther has recorded 10 or more total blocks in a game.
- Cordelia Kearns' 19 digs tied a career high.
- Elisa Broggio's 12 kills were one shy of a career high.
- Natalie Rhodes' four service aces were a new career high.
- Florida Tech is now 20-13 in home openers since 1993.
UP NEXT: Florida Tech will wrap up the weekend tomorrow with another SSC matchup at the Clemente Center against Lynn. Opening serve is scheduled for 4 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.
