BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - After a hard fought battle, the Lady Toppers could not complete a remarkable comeback falling to Sun Belt leader Florida International 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 21-25, 23-25). After winning the first set, the Lady Toppers fought to the very end in each of the last three sets but could not pull off the victory falling to 21-8 this season and 10-4 in the Sun Belt Conference. With the win, FIU improved to 25-2 this season and 15-0 in the SBC.
In set one, the Lady Toppers posted a .472 hitting percentage after recording 18 kills and just one attack error in 36 attempts. After falling behing 2-0 to begin the set, the Lady Toppers tied things up after kills by seniors Brittany Bowen and Abbie Siljendahl. With the set tied at four, WKU took the lead for the final time after another kill by Siljendahl. In the set, the Lady Toppers led by as many as seven points and took the 1-0 lead after a kill by junior Emily Teegarden.
WKU and FIU posted identical .189 hitting percentages in the second set with 13 kills and six errors but it was the Golden Panthers who were able to pull out the win. After falling behind 4-0 to start the set, WKU scored their first point after a kill by Teegarden. After battling back and cutting FIU's lead to two at 23-21, FIU scored the final two points of the set and secured the win after an attack error by the Lady Toppers.
The Lady Toppers fell behind 6-0 in the third set before eventually getting on the board after a kill by Siljendahl. After trailing the entire set and by as many as seven points, the Lady Toppers cut the Golden Panthers' lead to two at 20-18. Down 20-18, FIU then went on to outscore the Lady Toppers 5-3 to take a 2-0 advantage in the match. WKU hit .167 in the set tallying 13 kills.
Finally in set four, WKU and FIU stayed close throughout the entire set. After WKU rallied back to tie things up at 18, FIU scored the next four points to take a 22-18 lead. But, WKU wouldn't go down without a fight and the Lady Toppers cut the Golden Panthers lead to one at 23-22. Down by one, FIU took a 24-22 lead after a kill by Yarimar Rosa and won the set after a kill by Jovana Bjelica. In the fourth set, WKU hit .116 after committing ten errors and recording 15 kills.
In the match, the Lady Toppers posted a .230 hitting percentage after recording 59 kills, 54 assists, four aces, 48 digs and seven blocks. The Lady Toppers also recorded 13 service errors during the four sets. The Lady Toppers were led offensively by freshman Jordyn Skinner who finished the night with a team-high 16 kills and a .324 hitting percentage. Sophomore Lauren Stuckel finished the night with 44 assists to lead the Lady Toppers while freshman Sarah Rogers posted a match-high 15 digs during the night. Junior Emily Teegarden led the team in blocks with two.
Florida International posted 56 kills and a .280 hitting percentage while also recording 51 assists, one ace, 53 digs and 13 blocks.
WKU will round out their home schedule tomorrow when they host Florida Atlantic at 1 p.m. in E.A. Diddle Arena. The match will be the last match in E.A. Diddle Arena for four seniors. Seniors Lindsey Gould, Brittany Bowen, Abbie Siljendahl and Aquila Orr will be recognized before the match.
