Scrappy Panthers Stun Lynn
BOCA RATON, Fla. (Volleyball) – The pieces finally fell together for Florida Tech’s volleyball team Saturday afternoon as the
Panthers took their first conference win in nearly two years, defeating Lynn 3-1. The Fighting Knights perhaps were still on a high after surprising #9
Florida Southern Friday night 3-0, but the Panthers brought them back to earth with the upset.
Standouts for Tech included Sacha Gumbs with 18 kills and Frankie Brown with 17. Marcela
Vasconcelos tallied 45 assists, 22 digs and 12 kills for the team’s first triple-double of the season. Amanda Boyce added 16 digs
and is now four away from the esteemed 1,000 dig club.
Leaders for the Fighting Knights were Irmina Zamara with 12 kills and Devon Woolard with 31 assists, while Lacy Redwine and Christine Schade
added 17 digs apiece.
Game one found the Panthers solid on blocking defense early as Lynn attack errors gave Tech the lead. Consistent serving on Panther offense extended the
lead to as many as 11 and the team took advantage of every Knight weakness. Lynn got a surge toward the end, but it was too late as Tech took the game
30-26.
In game two,Tech struck first with an early 4-2 lead, but Lynn kept it a two- to three-point game. The Panthers extended their lead to 17-12,
forcing Lynn to take a time out. Tech stayed focused and motivated and took game two by a score of 30-21. The third game began with an
Amy O’Brien ace and the Panthers scored three unanswered points, but the Knights fought back to make it a two-point game. Lynn took the
lead 8-7, forcing a Panther time out this time. Tech took the lead back with O’Brien at the service line after a few ties and managed to
hold a two-point lead. Lynn went on a bit of a run with Daris Rodriguez at the attack line, taking the lead 22-20, and Tech took its final time out. The
Fighting Knights held on though and took game three 30-23, out-hitting the Panthers .381-.143.
Game four started out evenly, but Tech took the lead at four. A Lynn run threatened the visitors, but the Panthers held on. Tech spread the lead to 16-9
and Lynn took a time out to regroup. The Cats maintained control of the game, leading by as many as 10. The Knights took their final time out with only
three points separating the Panthers from victory. Shortly thereafter, Tech’s bench erupted in celebration as the Panthers took the game 30-20 and the
match 3-1.
“I am pleased with the victory,” said head coach Qi Wang.
“I think we are starting to trust each other more,” said Vasconcelos. “We’re recovering quicker after we lose a point and are keeping control of the game
when we are in the lead.”
The Panthers will travel to Lakeland, Fla., Friday, Oct. 5, to match up with Florida Southern at 7 p.m. before returning to the Clemente Center
Saturday, Oct. 6, to face Rollins at 4 p.m.
