MELBOURNE, Fla. (NOVEMBER 11, 2011) - In the
final week of regular season play, the Rollins Tars faced the
Florida Tech Panthers on Veterans Day, silencing the Panthers in
straight sets (25-22, 25-14, 25-23).
The Panthers are one of two teams the Tars will play this
weekend, on the road, to complete regular-season play before
postseason action begins next weekend. The NCAA selection
committee will announce the final participants of the south region
tournament on Sunday (Nov. 13) on the NCAA homepage.
The 23-9 Tars improved their Sunshine State Conference record to
11-4, marking the most conference wins in Rollins program history.
Rollins hit .283 for the match, holding FIT to a .156 hitting
percentage. The Tars led in all but one statistical category, as
the Panthers outdid the Tars 5-4 in service aces.
Freshman Jessica Wilson paced the Tars with 12 kills, to go
along with six blocks, while Megan Hodges registered 10 kills, nine
digs, and a pair of blocks. Defending SSC Offensive Player of the
Week, Kiana Parks tallied a match-high 31 assists.
After winning the opening point in the first set, and taking a
lead after the first three ties in the set, Rollins found
themselves trailing the Panthers until the Tars were able to tie
the score at 17-all on a kill by Kelly Merideth. An FIT defensive
miscue allowed the Tars to take a one-point lead, but would not
hold strong as the Panthers knotted up the score at 19-all on a
kill by Kaitlin Brennan. Merideth got the momentum going on a
kill, 20-19, as Rollins was able to extend their lead to two on
another kill, this time by Wilson. Rollins edged the Panthers
25-22 on an ace by Merideth.
In the second frame, Rollins hit .333 as the Florida Tech
Panthers hit a -.136. The Tars registered 14 kills in the second
set, while the Panthers were only able to chalk up three,
committing six errors on 22 swings. Rollins led the entire way,
scoring seven of the last 10 points.
The third and final set of the match came down to a 25-23
victory for the Tars, but was a hard fought battle 'til the end.
The set saw six ties and two lead changes with the final tie coming
at the 23-all mark on behalf of a Rollins error to keep the
Panthers alive. After a Sindee Snow timeout, Rollins was back in
the game as back-to-back kills from Merideth and Hodges secured the
win.
Janice Valies led the Florida Tech Panthers offensively with
nine kills, two digs, and a block.
Rollins will face the Nova Southeastern Sharks in the final home
match of the regular-season tomorrow afternoon. First serve is set
for 4 p.m. Fans can follow along on the Tars Sports Network at
RollinsSports.com.
