LAKELAND, Fla. — Florida Southern College volleyball defeated Florida Tech 3-2 (25-17, 10-25, 28-30, 25-21, 15-12) on Saturday afternoon. After dropping the second and third sets, Florida Southern hit .285 over the final two sets to extend their win streak to four matches.
The Mocs improve to 10-6 overall and 5-3 in Sunshine State play. Florida Tech is 4-12 overall and 2-6 in Sunshine State play. The victory marked the 100th career win as a head coach for
Lauren Tekavec '15.
Florida Southern turned an early 2-0 deficit into a 25-17 first-set win, using two scoring stretches to create separation.
Whitney Mall and
Ella Kuosmanen supplied early kills as
Nako Sasaki served a four-point run that moved FSC from down 2-1 to ahead 5-2, and Kuosmanen added another kill for a 6-3 edge. Florida Tech stayed within 14-12 after a service ace, but Mall answered with a kill before
Brielle Mullen served four straight Moccasins points, a span that included blocks involving Kuosmanen,
Elizabeth McDonald and
Mel Garrett and a Kuosmanen kill for a 19-12 lead. Kuosmanen added two more kills as Florida Southern moved to 21-13, and
Lindsay Piktel delivered kills at 22-16 and 25-17 to finish the set.
The Moccasins opened the second set with a 3-1 lead behind kills from
Layla Visser and Kuosmanen, but Florida Tech scored the next eight points to move in front 9-3. Garrett stopped that stretch with a kill from Mullen, and Garrett added two more kills as FSC tried to answer during the middle of the set. Florida Tech continued to build the margin through a combination of kills, blocks and Florida Southern attack errors, pushing the score to 21-7 before McDonald delivered consecutive late kills for the Moccasins' side of the scoreboard. Garrett and Kuosmanen combined on a block for FSC's final point of the set, but Florida Tech closed out the set 25-10.
Florida Southern pushed the third set into extra points and answered Florida Tech deficits at 24-23, 27-26 and 28-27 before the visitors scored the final two points for a 30-28 set win. The Mocs opened with a block by Piktel and Kuosmanen, then used kills by Garrett, Piktel and McDonald to stay in front through 6-5. McDonald carried a major share of the offense during the next stretch, recording four kills as FSC moved from a 6-6 tie to an 11-7 lead. Florida Tech pulled even repeatedly down the stretch, but the Moccasins kept answering with kills by Piktel, Mall and Garrett, and
Mallory Baruch came on late to assist McDonald's 24-24 kill, Garrett's 25-24 kill and Piktel's 27-27 kill.
The Moccasins' fourth-set answer came after an 18-14 deficit, as they won seven of eight rallies from 16-18 to 23-19 and went on to take the set 25-21. FSC fell behind 6-2 before working back with a
Payton Nazzari ace, kills from Mall and McDonald, and a Sasaki ace to even the set at 8-8. Florida Tech later moved in front 18-14, but Mall's kill returned the serve, Sasaki followed with an ace, McDonald added a kill and Mall teamed with Kuosmanen on a block to tie it at 18-18. After Florida Tech scored the next point and Kuosmanen answered with a kill for 19-19, Mullen served four straight Florida Southern points — including her ace and kills by McDonald and Garrett — to put the Mocs ahead 23-19. McDonald pushed the lead to 24-20 with another kill, and Garrett finished the 25-21 set win off a Mullen assist.
Florida Southern built the fifth set around early sideout offense and late answers, getting four kills from Mall and closing out a 15-12 set win. After a service error opened the set, Mall answered from
Tori Borton, Sasaki served an ace, and Kuosmanen added a kill to put FSC ahead 3-1 before kills by Mall, McDonald and Garrett helped push the score to 6-2. Florida Tech worked back from 8-4 and tied the set at 8-8, but the Moccasins responded with three straight points on a service error and two attack errors to move back in front 11-8. After Florida Tech pulled within 11-10 and later 14-12, Mall delivered two late kills, McDonald added another for a 14-11 lead, and Kuosmanen finished the fifth on Borton's assist for the 15-12 result.
McDonald led Florida Southern with a career-high 18 kills, adding two blocks. Mall finished with 14 kills on an impressive .600 hitting percentage. Sasaki recorded 23 digs, nine assists and three service aces. Kuosmanen added 10 kills while hitting .350 and posted a team-high seven total blocks.
Cordelia Kearns led Florida Tech with 19 kills and 16 digs along with two blocks. Isabelle Clark finished with 15 kills on a .433 hitting percentage and posted a match-high nine blocks. Natalie Rhodes recorded 27 assists and nine digs. Brooke Menke collected 16 digs.
Up next, the Florida Southern volleyball team visits No. 3 Tampa on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. inside the Bob Martinez Athletics Center in Tampa, Fla.
