MIAMI, Fla. – The Louisiana Tech volleyball team fell in their opening match of Conference USA play against FIU on Friday night in Miami, Fla.
FIU got a quick six-point lead and looked to be running away with the first set, but the Bulldogs would fight their way back. An ace by Lauren Albrecht would pull Tech within two at 12-10. Carla Esquer and Sydney Jackwin would each send balls screaming to the floor to keep the Bulldogs in the set, but the Panthers would secure the final five points to take the first set.
A forceful kill by Ashley Taylor would give Tech a quick start with a 3-0 lead, their first of the match. The Panthers would take a 15-6 run to turn things around on the Bulldogs. Esquer would pull Tech back into the set with three straight points. Jackwin would finish the run with a slam down the line to tie things up at 18 apiece. FIU would use a 7-1 run out of a timeout to take the 2-0 advantage.
The Bulldogs wouldn't go down easy in the third set. With the Panthers holding a three-point lead, Esquer gave the Bulldogs two straight points with laser shots off the hands of the Panther defenders. The teams would trade points until FIU put Tech's back against the wall with a 23-20 advantage. Tech pulled off three straight, highlighted by a block from Luisa Araujo and Jailen Hurley. An ace by Esquer gave the Bulldogs the lead at 27-26, but the Panthers would secure the final three to take the 3-0 win (25-17, 25-19, 29-27).
QUOTABLES
Head coach
Amber McCray
"Right now our inability to follow a game plan nor follow adjustments given is killing us in matches. We played well when we stayed aggressive but we dug ourselves in far too many holes to consistently climb out of. The great thing about this conference format is we have a chance to go watch the film, make changes we can implement quickly, and get another shot at FIU tomorrow."
NOTABLES
- Taylor finished with five blocks for the second game in a row.
- Albrecht finished with 16 assists, extending her streak of 10+ assists to 11 straight matches. She has 15+ in nine of those 11.
- Esquer finished with 12 kills, the fifth time this season she finished with double-digit kills.
- Grace Krohn finished with 17 assists, giving her 200 in her freshman season.
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs look to split the series with FIU on Saturday at noon.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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