Louisiana Tech Athletic Communications
Marta Monne,Senior, Outside hitter/Libero attempts to spike the ball. – Photo by Brian Blakely
The Louisiana Tech women’s volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (25-15, 26-24, 25-22) decision to Conference USA rival Florida Atlantic, Friday evening from the Thomas Assembly Center.
On a tough offensive outing for the Techsters (6-16, 1-7 C-USA), Madeline Davis shone brightly, contributing seven kills on a team-best .375 hitting percentage. Freshman Emily Boylan also stepped in admirably off the bench, adding a pair of kills and two digs, while striking at a .250 clip.
Senior Marta Monne once again led the team in kills with nine, while Alyssa Zucco’s 14 digs also paced the squad. Setters Brooke Short and Courtney Rutledge combined for 24 of the team’s 27 assists on the night.
Florida Atlantic (12-7, 3-4 C-USA) was driven offensively by Sigourney Kame, who accumulated a match-best 11 kills. The Owls’ setter tandem of Ivone Martinez and Nikki Lakman combined for 33 helpers on the evening.
The first set was a back-and-forth affair, as neither team could mount a lead larger than two, up until a 13-13 tie. At that point, the Owls made a decisive 4-0 run, and maintained that advantage, ending the first set on a 6-0 run.
Florida Atlantic hit its highest percentage (.294) of the evening in the first, while holding the Techsters to their lowest mark of -.049.
The second set looked as if Florida Atlantic would seize control again, as the Owls rushed out to a 4-0 edge. However, Tech would not be deterred and mounted a nice rally, leading by an 18-12 score at one point. As the set drew to an end, however, the Techster offense grinded to a halt and the Owls would capitalize; sneaking by with a 26-24 triumph.
Capitalizing on the momentum earned by the wins in sets one and two, Florida Atlantic began the third frame even stronger than the previous two, driving to an 8-2 lead early on. Tech made a rally late, crawling back to within two at 23-12, but the night belonged to the Owls, as they walked away with a 25-22 victory.
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