MELBOURNE, Fla. (September 28, 2021) – The Florida Tech Panthers (1-12) locked in their first win of the season on Tuesday night, defeating the Rollins Tars (3-10) in four sets.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Both teams looked sharp on the attack in the first set, posting 13 kills each. Tech jumped out to an early lead, going up by three early on, but a service ace from Rebecca Kuehn sandwiched between a pair of Alexis Yeager kills gave the Tars a 11-10 lead. The teams would tie each other five times in the set, but a late four-point rally by the Panthers made the score 20-16, and ultimately put the game out of reach. They would go on to win 25-20. Tech managed four points off blocks in the set, while Rollins only managed one.
- Rollins jumped out to an early lead in set two thanks to back-to-back kills from Candace Doxey and Emma Begley. The Panthers were quick to respond, thanks in part to Delaney Lott, who had four kills in the first ten points of the set to take a 10-6 lead. A slew of attack errors from both sides tied the score at 12. As the two teams traded blows, Florida Tech increased their lead to 24-20. On the cusp of defeat, Rollins set the stage for an impressive comeback. Doxey recorded a kill, and then FIT committed an attack error. After a Tech timeout, Baldridge and Yeager blocked a Panther attack, followed by an ace from Adriane Griffith. With the score tied at 24, the Tars then completed the comeback with a Baldridge kill and a block from Yeager and Doxey to win 26-24.
- The third set started as close as could be, with the teams tying each other nine times in the first twelve points. The Panthers were able to pull away when Katie Erdman, one of the leading attackers in the Sunshine State Conference, delivered three straight kills to make it 15-12. Rollins could not regain their momentum, and dropped the set by a score of 25-18.
- Tech controlled the fourth set from the jump. The score tied at 1-1 and 2-2, and from there it was all Panthers. A three-point kill streak from Lana Gerard pulled the Tars within two at 11-9, but Florida Tech was quick to respond and keep the Tars at bay. Rollins added a five-kill streak at the end of the set, but it was too little too late as Florida Tech took the match 25-17.
- Lana Gerard was the leading scorer for Rollins with a dozen kills to go with seven digs. Riley Spurlin was second in line with nine kills. Emma Begley had another nice effort on the defensive end, tallying five blocks.
Next up for the Tars is a tough test on the road at undefeated Nova Southeastern. First serve in Fort Lauderdale is scheduled for 4:00 pm on Saturday, October 2.
