LAKELAND, Fla. — The Florida Southern College volleyball team fell to the third-ranked University of Tampa in a straight-sets on Saturday at George W. Jenkins Field House. The Spartans (10-0, 2-0 SSC) maintained their unbeaten record by scores of 25-15, 25-18, 25-21, outpacing Florida Southern (7-3, 1-1 SSC) with 50 kills to 26. UTampa's attack was led by a second set hitting percentage of .271, securing a decisive conference victory.
FSC began the first set with a promising start, securing the first two points through a block from sophomore
Bali Coles and freshman
Layla Visser and a kill by Coles, assisted by freshman
Brielle Mullen. However, UT quickly countered, leveling the score at 2-2.
Despite early efforts from Florida Southern, including kills from senior
Morgan Word and Coles, UTampa gained momentum mid-set. The visitors capitalized on a series of attack errors from Florida Southern to extend its lead to 15-6. Florida Southern showed resilience with a kill by Coles and another by Word later in the set, narrowing the gap slightly.
In the closing stages, UT maintained control, despite a kill from freshman
Chloe Moreland, and finished the set with a 25-15 victory over Florida Southern.
The second set opened with FSC momentarily gaining an early edge, capitalizing on UT errors to establish a 5-3 lead. Visser and junior
Elizabeth McDonald each contributed critical kills, maintaining the team's momentum in the early exchanges. However, Tampa responded effectively, narrowing the gap and eventually overtaking with a series of successful plays.
Midway through the set, Tampa's offense began to find rhythm, propelled by Connor Rahn's consistent attacking, which widened their lead. Florida Southern managed to interrupt UT's scoring with blocks by Word and Moreland, but Tampa's steady execution allowed them to pull ahead consistently.
Despite McDonald's efforts to keep FSC within striking distance, Tampa's Rahn and Rachel Gregg sealed the set with decisive kills. The set concluded with UT securing a 25-18 victory, leaving FSC aiming to regroup for the next set.
Florida Southern battled fiercely in the third set against UT, narrowing the gap to 2-2 early on with a kill by freshman
Whitney Mall, assisted by Mullen. Moreland and junior
Tori Borton contributed with a service ace, leveling the score at 6-6. However, UT regained momentum, extending their lead to 16-12, despite a kill from Word.
Florida Southern responded with efforts from Coles and Word, keeping the contest competitive and reducing the deficit to 20-17. Although the Mocs showcased resilience with another kill by Word, UT maintained a steady offensive push. The set concluded with UT securing a 25-21 victory.
Word contributed with six kills and added two digs, while Coles recorded seven kills and six digs. Moreland notched three kills and one block assist, adding to her team's defensive efforts. Sophomore
Nako Sasaki led the defense with 17 digs, providing stability in the back row for the Mocs.
Rahn led the UT team with 16 kills and a hitting percentage of .414, contributing significantly with 16.0 points. Ana Rivera stood out defensively, recording 15 digs and adding 6 assists. Gregg demonstrated efficiency in attack with 8 kills on a .583 hitting percentage, accumulating 9.0 points.
In their next game, Florida Southern will travel to face Nova Southeastern at Rick Case Arena in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The match is set for Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.
