TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. ( Nov. 10, 2023) – Florida National University’s women’s volleyball team showed true grit in a three-set loss against the College of the Ozarks Bobcats on Nov 10. This was FNU’s final game of pool play at the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC) Tournament hosted by Florida College.
In the opening set, FNU got off to a slow start despite Layla Cortez posting three kills. The Conquistadors posted eight costly errors in the frame, which gave the Bobcats a slight edge down the stretch. College of the Ozarks got the 1-0 lead after an attack error from Brianna Grabowski and a bad set committed by Isabella Armas pushed the Bobcats to 25 points.
In the second, FNU had a slight advantage in the frame but the Bobcats played their way back into the contest. When they needed it most, Christa Duffel and Brooklyn Crawford executed crucial kills to end the frame and put their team up two sets. Sofia Moreno Bendala came alive in the frame with two kills and Taysha Ortega posted six assists.
In the third and final set, Florida National put up a valiant performance but once again had the frame just slip away down the stretch. FNU jumped to a 4-1 lead but ended up cooling down on offense as the Bobcats stayed calm whenever they fell behind. Gabriela Gonzalez had a monster set with two blocks and four kills. The Bobcats closed out the match with a kill courtesy of Bri Linehan and a service ace from Mica Chadwell.
Cortez recorded 11 kills and Taylor Purdy had another impressive performance with 22 digs in three sets played.
Up Next: FNU is set to compete in a must-win CAC semifinal match versus the Bobcats tomorrow at 1 p.m.
