Rollins Opens SSC Play with 3-2 Win over FIT

Rollins (7-2)

3 -

2

Florida Tech (2-7)

Box Score

MELBOURNE, Fla. (September 16, 2016) - Hitting the road to open Sunshine State Conference play, the Rollins volleyball team picked up a hard-fought 3-2 (25-16, 28-30, 25-16, 22-25, 15-12) victory over Florida Tech on Friday evening at the Clemente Center. The win marks the seventh-straight for the Tars, and advances them to a record of 7-2, and 1-0 in SSC action, while the Panthers drop to 2-7, and 0-1 in the SSC.

Three Tars notched double-doubles on the night, led by Shannon McDonough with a match high 24 kills with 14 kills. Bri Civiero was close behind with her double-double of 19 kills and 20 digs, while Cassidy Cason earned her second double-double of the season with a new personal best 57 assists and 10 digs. Five Tars earned double-digit dig counts, led by junior Rebecca Wilson with 21, followed by Civiero, McDonough, Jaime Becker with 13, and Cason with 10. On defense, the Tars posted 9.0 blocks as a team, led by Sam Schlesman with a team best four total on the night. Civiero led the team in solo blocks with two, while earning three total on the night as she added an assisted block.

Florida Tech was led by Kelly Germain with 15 kills on the night. Olivia Hersey posted 14 kills of her own, while Jenna Schaffer notched 13 kills and 15 digs. Matching Schaffer's double-double was Kiersten Rosa with 44 assists and 12 digs. Becca Bower led FIT in digs with 28, while Samantha Reeves earned a team high five blocks, including one solo stop. In total, the Panthers earned 9.5 blocks on the night.

NOTES:

• Newcomer Cassidy Cason earned her second double-double of the season, posting 57 assists and 10 digs. Cason's 57 assists marks a new personal best.

• Junior Shannon McDonough notched her team-leading fifth double-double of 2016 as she earned 24 kills and 14 digs.

• Bri Civiero tallied her fourth double-double of the season with 19 kills and 20 digs.

• The match saw a total of 26 tie scores, including eight each in the second and fourth sets, while set five saw the score tied six times.

• In total, there were 14 total lead changes throughout the match:

  • The Tars held the lead the entire first set, and picked up four-point runs on three separate occasions.

  • The second stanza was a battle that saw the lead change hands four times. After trailing by one, 13-12, the Tars rallied for five straight points to take a 16-13 lead before the Panthers called timeout. Florida Tech battled back and outscored the Tars 17-12 to close out the second set with a 28-26 win.

  • After Florida Tech gained the early 2-1 lead, the Tars bounced back and changed the score to their favor, 3-2, marking the only lead change of Set 3.

  • Set 4 saw a match high five lead changes as both teams fought to swing the match in their favor. The Tars' longest scoring streak in the fourth set was four points.

  • The decisive set was an all-out battle that saw the lead change hands four times. The set was tied late in the match at 12-12, and a kill by McDonough gave Rollins the one point advantage off of an assist by Cason. The Tars extended their lead by two with a kill by Schlesman, followed by the match point by the duo of McDonough and Cason to secure the Tars' seventh-straight victory.

• Rollins has now won seven-straight matches and returns home on Saturday with a record of 7-2, having lost their only two matches to Top-25 teams.

COACH ROBINSON'S THOUGHTS:

"We played very differently from set to set tonight. I thought we played really solidly in sets 1 and 3, and I was proud of them for finishing well on the road and not letting the crowd impact us mentally. A conference win on the road is always a good thing."

NEXT UP:

• Date: Saturday | September 17, 2016
• Opponent: Embry-Riddle
• Location: Winter Park, Fla. | Warden Arena in the Alfond Sports Center
• Time: 4:00 p.m.
• Coverage: WATCH l LISTEN l LIVE STATS

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