Mocs Drop Road Match At #17 Lynn

BOCA RATON, Fla. – In the first of two meetings within five days of each other, the Florida Southern College volleyball team fell to No. 17 Lynn Monday night, 3-0, on the road. The Moccasins and Fighting Knights will meet for a second time on Saturday in Lakeland in the annual Dig for Diabetes match. Seniors Sandra Sasaki and Kiersten Kraus posted double-doubles but it was not enough to slow down the Fighting Knights at home.
 
The loss moves Florida Southern's record to 11-9 on the year, including 5-7 in conference play. Lynn improves to 21-2 with an 11-2 mark in Sunshine State Conference action.
 
Sasaki finished the match with 13 kills and 12 digs while Kraus chipped in five kills, 10 assists and 12 digs to lead the Mocs. Senior Madison Fowler and freshman Lindsay Piktel also finished with five kills. Fowler added two blocks and a pair of digs while Piktel picked up all five of her kills in the final set of the match while adding a dig. Piktel finished the match with five kills on 10 swings with just one hitting error for a team-best .400 hitting percentage.
 
Sophomore setter Mary Kate Mulvaney dished out 18 assists while posting three digs and a service ace. Graduate student libero Caroline Chambers dug up a team-best 16 digs while adding six assists.
 
Lynn was paced by Aline Olegario and Samantha Wolf who each finished with 11 kills in the match. Wolf added 15 digs while a third hitter, Maria Cecilia, finished with nine kills and a team-best 19 digs.
 
The Mocs hit just .118 in the match, their second-worst percentage of the season, while the Fighting Knights posted a .238 hitting percentage, the sixth-best opponent percentage against the Mocs this season.
 
Lynn came out on fire in the opening set and ran away with a 25-12 victory. The second set was a much closer battle including the Mocs leading 20-17 late in the stanza. The Knights used a quick 3-0 run to tie the set at 20-20 before the two teams traded the next three points leaving the Mocs ahead 22-21. A kill by Cecilia sparked a 4-0 run by Lynn to take the second set 25-22. The third set featured a number of large runs by both teams but the Fighting Knights eventually found themselves with match point at 24-20. The Mocs did not back down as they scored three -straight points including kills from Sasaki and Piktel and a hitting error by the home team. Olegario closed out the match on the next point giving Lynn a 25-23 victory.
 
The Mocs will return home for the first time since Oct. 22 as they welcome in Palm Beach Atlantic Friday night for a 7:30 p.m. match.
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