By MTN Sports Reporter: Dawson Riggins
MTSU falls to FIU in the Conference-USA volleyball tournament quarterfinals.
The Blue Raiders enter the tournament with an 11-5 conference record and the #3 seed. The Panthers have an 8-8 conference record and the #6 seed in the tournament.
Both teams enter the tournament looking to bounce back from losing streaks with MTSU losing back-to-back against Western Kentucky and FIU losing four straight matches to the Hilltoppers and New Mexico State.
The first went back and forth resulting in a close 25-23 victory for the Panthers. FIU went on to take the second set 25-19 and have a 2-0 advantage over MTSU.
The Blue Raiders would storm back with 25-17 and 25-20 victories to tie the match at 2-2. However, the Panthers responded by taking the final set 15-9 halting the Blue Raiders comeback and moving on in the conference tournament.
Kayla Haley filled the stat sheet in the match with 14 kills, nine digs and three blocks. All-Conference players Adri Rhoda and Laure Jansen added 15 and 10 kills, respectively. Conference Setter of the Year Taylor Eisert finished the match with 50 assists along with 10 digs and three aces.
The loss brings MTSU down to 20-9 on the season and out of contention for the Conference-USA tournament.
The Panthers advance in the tournament to face the #2 seed New Mexico State for a spot in the C-USA Volleyball Championship.