WINTER PARK, Fla. – Rollins came up just short in a tight three-set battle inside Warden Arena on Tuesday night, falling to Florida Tech (22–25, 23–25, 24–26).
The Panthers set the tone early, jumping out to a 7–2 lead and forcing Rollins to play from behind. A block from Makayla Moran sparked an 8–2 Tars run that closed the gap to one, but a late Florida Tech push secured the opening set. The Panthers carried that momentum into the second, building a 9–3 lead before Rollins began to chip away. The Tars closed within one late, but Florida Tech held on to take a 2–0 advantage. The third frame was the tightest of the night, featuring eight ties and five lead changes as Rollins battled to extend the match. Back-to-back kills from Rylee Yarborough and Moran tied things up at 11–11, and the Tars later answered a five-point Panther run with one of their own. Despite the late surge, errors down the stretch proved costly as Florida Tech closed out the sweep.
Cameron Grange led the offense with 10 kills on an efficient .321 hitting percentage, while Tsaneva and Yarborough each added seven. Setters Jenna Garza and Molly Morris guided the attack with 13 assists apiece, and Garza added two aces from the service line. Defensively, libero Sarah Seabrooke paced the back row with 18 digs, while middle blocker Willow Barron anchored the front line with four block assists and one solo.
With the setback, Rollins moves to 13–9 overall and 2–7 in SSC play, while Florida Tech improves to 9–8 (4–5 SSC). The Tars will look to bounce back on the road Friday, Oct. 24, when they travel to West Palm Beach for a 6 p.m. matchup against Palm Beach Atlantic.
