BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - West Alabama volleyball team took Florida Tech to five sets but came up short in the 3-2 (25-13, 19-25, 20-25, 25-19, 15-11) loss at the South Region Crossover Tournament. The Tigers moved to 6-16 overall. Florida Tech improved to 9-9 overall.
Nathalia Medeiros and Johanna Martin led UWA attackers and were the only two Tigers to post double figures. Medeiros tallied 11 kills, while Martin added 10 slams. Both Tigers sent back six blocks. Chyna Dixon dished out 16 assists. Maddie Van Dyke had 12.
Quiara Dunson led the defense with 14 digs. Dixon added 12 digs. MacKenzie Wells tallied 11 digs and spun in three service aces.
The Panthers took the first set 25-13. The second set was tied at 7-7 before UWA went on a 4-0 run to gain the 11-8 advantage. The Tigers had another big run that improved the lead to 18-13. UWA claimed the final six points of the match to close set two with a 25-19 victory.
Tied 5-5, UWA went on a 5-0 run to take a 10-5 advantage over Florida Tech. The Tigers kept pushing and pulled ahead to take a 16-9 lead. The Panthers went on a 4-0 run to cut the lead to 16-13. UWA earned the final points and closed out the set with a kill from Medeiros to take set two, 25-20.
UWA had a 12-9 lead, but Florida Tech went on an 8-0 run to gain the 17-12 advantage. UWA continued to fight, but the Panthers closed the fourth set with a 25-19 win. Florida Tech jumped to an early 7-0 start in the fifth set. A kill by Dixon broke the Panthers' run. A kill by Medeiros started the 7-2 run for the Tigers, making the score 9-8. The Panthers were able to keep the lead and close out the set with a 15-11 win and claim the 3-2 victory.
The Panthers held the edge in kills (48-43), assists (45-40), digs (63-56), and aces (5-4). UWA held the advantage in blocks (11-6).
Katie Erdmann paced the Panthers with 14 kills. Kari Bogen had 24 digs. Kenzie Delacher had 39 assists.
The Tigers return to the court on Saturday to wrap up the South Region Crossover. UWA battles Saint Leo at 9 a.m., followed by Spring Hill at 4:45 p.m. in Birmingham, Alabama.
To stay connected with the UWA volleyball team, follow @uwavolleyball on Instagram and @uwa_volleyball on Twitter. General athletic news, along with game recaps and box scores, can be found at uwaathletics.com. Additional updates and information are available @UWAAthletics on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
