Melbourne, Fla. – Rollins wrapped up its back-to-back road stretch on Saturday night, falling in a five-set heartbreaker to Florida Tech (19–25, 25–23, 25–20, 18–25, 15–17).
Set one was a back-and-forth battle before the Panthers strung together a late run to grab the opener. Rollins flipped the script in the second, clawing back to tie things at 22 on a Cameron Grange kill. Another finish from Grange, followed by a Molly Morris ace, gave the Tars their first lead of the frame, and a block from Robinson Repass and Marta Tsaneva sealed the equalizer. The Tars carried that energy into the third, limiting attack errors while extending their lead to go up 2–1. Florida Tech regrouped in the fourth and forced a decisive fifth, where the two sides traded points deep into the frame. Rollins erased multiple deficits to pull even at 13–13, but the Panthers managed back-to-back points late to edge out the win.
Statistically, the Tars found several bright spots, winning the battle in both aces and blocks. Grange, Rylee Yarborough, and Makayla Moran each finished with double-digit kills, with Moran leading the way at a .556 hitting percentage while adding a match-high seven blocks. Setter Jenna Garza guided the offense with 25 assists and served up a team-best three aces. Elena Arnold also provided a spark, posting nine kills of her own in the contest.
Rollins falls to 11-4 overall and 0-2 in SSC play. The Tars return home to Warden Arena on Friday, Oct. 3, hosting Barry at 7 p.m.
