Middle Tennessee avenges previous loss by beating Panthers at U.S. Century Bank Arena - Volleyball
The girls’ volleyball team of Middle Tennessee, Blue Raiders, worked out a straight set win over the Panthers of Florida International University on Sunday, October 2. The U.S. Century Bank Arena in Miami hosted the match as the Tennessee squad posted a
25-20, 25-12, 25-18 win. The winning team recovered the loss they suffered last season at FIU. Blue Raider improved to a 5-9 record on the season, while their competitor side moved to 10-5.
Key Players
Ashley Adams played an instrumental role in Blue Raiders’ victory. She performed amazingly well and showcased her wonderful game-tactics by grabbing a match-high 14 kills with a hitting percentage of .500. Oyinlola Oladinni recorded eight kills, while Alyssa
Wistrick was credited with six kills in the match. Overall, the Blue Raiders registered 35 kills as they dominated their opponents. The strong serving and solid defence was attributed to Adams and Oladinni who posted four blocks apiece, and Middle Tennessee
totalled 10 team blocks to down FIU.
Match Summary
The visiting team jumped to a great start in the match as they put away early points on the scoreboard and built a lead over FIU. The hosts faced problems reacting to the powerful serves by their opponents and trailed behind. Jovana Bjelica of Middle Tennessee
delivered exquisite shots and helped her team to stay ahead of FIU. Blue Raiders remained remarkably consistent and secured opening set of the match by posting 25-20 on board.
After dropping the first set of the game, FIU lost momentum and could not resist Blue Raiders’ rising score in the second set. The guest team came up with a strong offence and picked up a lead of 21-7. The Panthers progressed at a snail’s pace and failed
to catch up with their opponents. They scored points but only on Blue Raiders’ errors. The second set ended well for Middle Tennessee as they posted 25-12.
The MT squad was ready to finish the game in the third set, while the Panthers failed to profit from the home advantage and suffered the set-back. Junior Renele Forde demonstrated extreme action at the net and led Blue Raiders to a third set win of 25-18.
Next up
In the next run, Panthers will travel to Boca Raton, Florida, in order to take on in-state rivals Florida Atlantic on Friday, October 7. On the other hand, Raiders will take on Western Kentucky at home on Tuesday, October 4.
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