Tars Defeat Lynn in Thrilling Five Set Barn Burner

Rollins

3 -

2

Lynn

Box Score Highlights

WINTER PARK, Fla. (November 6, 2015) - The Rollins volleyball team earned a key Sunshine State Conference victory in epic fashion on Friday night in Warden Arena, coming from behind to secure a 3-2 win over Lynn University thanks to a hard-fought fifth set final score of 25-23. The win advances the Tars to 10-15, and 5-7 in SSC action, while the Fighting Knights drop to a mark of 13-12 and 4-9 in SSC action.

The Tars and Fighting Knights played a match of marathon proportions as the night saw a total of 18 lead changes and 34 tie scores. Set one saw Rollins down 21-14, but the Tars rallied with seven straight points to knot the score at 21-21 before securing the 25-23 set one victory.

The Fighting Knights were not about to back down, claiming the ensuing two sets with matching scores of 25-15 to pull out to a 2-1 match advantage. Set four saw plenty of back-and-forth action with 12 tie scores and five lead changes. With the score tied at 19-19, the Tars earned the following two points to pull ahead 21-19, and both teams traded blows to set the score at 22-20. Lynn put their name to the test and tallied three straight to pull ahead 23-22, but three straight points from Rollins gave the Tars the 25-23 fourth set win to send the match into a final decisive frame.

Rollins charged into set five with five straight points, including two service aces by MaryEllen Pole, to kick off a barn burner of a final frame that saw the score tied 12 times and produced six lead changes.

After the quick five point run by the Tars, Lynn fought back and pulled to within one, 10-9, but two quick points by the Tars gave them a 12-9 lead. The Fighting Knights responded with a four point run to take the 13-12 lead, and Rollins posted two straight to sit on match point with a score of 14-13. Lynn took the opportunity away thanks to a big kill by Lydia West, but Rollins once again gained the advantage to sit at match point with a score of 16-15.

A relentless Fighting Knights squad again evened the tally, setting the score at 16-16 before Rollins once more took a one point lead off of a kill by Rachel Sawyer to set the score at 17-16. This time, the Fighting Knights knotted the score at 17-17, but gained the lead off of an attack error by the Tars to take an 18-17 edge.

Rollins won the next two battles to pull back out on top, 20-19, but Lynn retaliated with two of their own to take a 21-20 lead. Rollins evened the score yet again, 21-21, but Lynn found themselves back in match point contention with a score of 22-21. Rollins fought hard and won the next two, gaining a 23-22 advantage, but a kill by Cleuza Porto evened the score at 23-23.

Rachel Sawyer came up clutch with a kill to give the Tars the 24-23 edge, and an electric Warden Arena saw the Tars seal the deal and secure the 3-2 thriller with a 25-23 set five final thanks to an attack error by the Fighting Knights.

Sophomore Bri Civiero earned a team high 17 kills and 14 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Senior setter April Jackson tallied the team's second double-double on the night with 17 assists and 12 digs. Freshman Rachel Sawyer had a solid evening with eight kills and 18 digs, while Rebecca Wilson posted a team high 29 digs and MaryEllen Pole led the team in assists with 20. Civiero, Kerra Tirado, and Kate Stefanski tallied six blocks apiece as Rollins dominated at the net with 20 total team blocks on the night.

The Fighting Knights saw 23 kills from Cleuza Porto, and a match high 57 assists from Marissa Tandron. Five different Fighting Knights tallied double-digit dig efforts, led by Katie Knight with 24. At the net, Lydia West led the squad with six blocks.

The Tars return to action on Saturday, November 7 when they return to Warden Arena to host Nova Southeastern University. Match time agains the Sharks is set for 4 p.m. Fans who are unable to make it to the match will be able to follow all of the action live on the Geico Tars Sports Network at RollinsSports.com.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the Rollins volleyball team, fans can visit RollinsSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest #TARnation news by following Rollins Sports on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.