No. 4 Spartans Fall in Final Set

Melbourne, FL. – The Spartans come up short in final set.

Final Score: Tampa 2 (1: 20-25, 2: 25-23, 3: 25-20, 4: 17-25, 5: 13-15 ), Florida Tech 3

Records: Tampa (12-2, 4-2 SSC), Florida Tech (13-5, 7-2 SSC)

Location: Clemente Center | Melbourne, FL.

HAPPENED: 

First Set: Although Tampa's offense came out strong, recording 6 kills in their first 9 points, Florida Tech scoring 5 straight points to give them the lead at 12-9, sent the Spartans into an early timeout. UTampa eventually knotted the set at 19 a piece, following the 5th kill of the set for Kalli Cors, and taking the lead one play later. However, the Panthers scored the last 6 points and closed out the first set. | Score: 25-20 Florida Tech

Second Set: Similar to the first set, the Spartans and Panthers began exchanging blows in the second set. Head Coach Chris Catanach called his first timeout of this set after back-to-back Panther kills gave the home team the lead at 13-11. Neither team could build a lead in the middle of set, as they were tied a total of 13 times in the set. The Spartans tallied 9 kills in the set, including two straight from Nathaly Perez to give Tampa the advantage at 22-20 as Florida Tech called their first timeout. UTampa evened the match by capturing their first set of the day just 6 plays later. | Score 25-23 Tampa

Third Set: UT took control of the set early on with powerful kills by Cors and solid blocking from Perez and Jenna Davis, establishing a steady lead. Florida Tech fought back with blocks, but UT kept their momentum through consistent serves and effective attacks, including key contributions from Meghan Schreck and Mak Carter. After Florida Tech called two timeouts, UT surged ahead, closing the set with strong defensive play and a final error by Florida Tech. UT's consistent offense and pressure helped secure the set. | Score: 25-20 Tampa

Fourth Set: UT started strong in the fourth set with effective kills by Perez and Cors, along with an ace from Tess Schrenger, building an early lead. Florida Tech responded with a series of strong blocks and capitalized on UT's attack errors, shifting momentum in their favor. Despite UT's efforts, including timely kills by Davis and Connor Rahn, Florida Tech maintained control in the latter half. Ultimately, Florida Tech took the set 25-17, capitalizing on UT's unforced errors. | Score: 25-17 Florida Tech

Fifth Set: In the fifth set, UT fought back from an early deficit, with strong kills from Cors and Rahn keeping the score tight. UT managed to level the game at multiple points, including a key kill by Davis to tie it at 8-8. Zoey Seput's consistent assists helped UT stay competitive, leading to a thrilling 13-13 tie after another point by Rahn. Although UT's late surge showed their resilience, a service error handed the narrow victory to Florida Tech. | Score: 15-13 Florida Tech

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Over half of the Spartans' 66 kills came from Cors (23) and Perez (14).
• JJ Ramirez led the match with 18 digs.
• Seput recorded 35 assists to go along with 15 digs.