Lynn University

BOCA RATON, Fla. - No. 10 Lynn volleyball continued its impressive run Tuesday night, overwhelming Florida Tech with a blistering offensive performance to earn a straight-set victory, 25-17, 25-19, 27-25, inside the de Hoernle Sports & Cultural Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set One: Lynn 25, Florida Tech 17
- Lynn came out firing in the opening set, racing to a 4-1 advantage behind two early kills from Alexia Radulovic, a kill from Audrey Shaw and a service ace from Lira Pukl Verdel
- The Fighting Knights continued to control the tempo as Zara Rendic and Lillia Neill delivered consecutive kills to extend the advantage to 8-4
- With Lynn leading 9-6, Shaw and Pukl Verdel combined for three straight kills to push the Fighting Knights ahead 11-6
- Pukl Verdel took over midway through the frame, hammering three consecutive kills to stretch Lynn's lead to 14-7
- The Fighting Knights maintained their offensive rhythm as Shaw added another kill before Pukl Verdel fired her second ace of the set to make it 16-8
- Florida Tech attempted to chip away at the deficit, but Lynn continued to answer as Neill and Pukl Verdel helped extend the lead to 22-15
- Radulovic delivered a late kill before Pukl Verdel capped the opening frame with her third service ace, sealing a 25-17 victory
- Lynn dominated offensively with 19 kills on .348 hitting, while holding the Panthers to just seven kills and a .128 hitting percentage
 
Set Two: Lynn 25, Florida Tech 19
- The second set opened with the teams trading points before Shaw delivered a pair of early kills to help Lynn establish a 3-2 advantage
- With the score tied at 6-6, Pukl Verdel slammed home a kill before Ula Gorjup followed with an ace to give the Fighting Knights an 8-6 lead
- Lynn continued to build momentum behind kills from Shaw, Rendic and Radulovic, extending its advantage to 13-9
- Gorjup joined the offensive attack with a kill to make it 14-10 before Pukl Verdel and Gorjup delivered consecutive kills to push Lynn ahead 16-11
- Florida Tech fought to stay within striking distance, but Pukl Verdel and Radulovic helped the Fighting Knights maintain a 20-15 advantage
- Neill took control late in the frame, recording three kills during Lynn's final five points
- Ella Voorhees added a service ace to extend the lead to 22-16 before Rendic and Neill pushed the Fighting Knights to set point at 24-17
- The Panthers fought off two set points, but Neill delivered the finishing blow with another kill to secure the 25-19 victory
- Lynn put together an incredible offensive performance, recording 20 kills with just two errors on 36 attacks for a blistering .500 hitting percentage
 
Set Three: Lynn 27, Florida Tech 25
- Florida Tech came out determined to extend the match, opening the third set with a tightly contested battle that featured eight ties through the first 16 points
- Neither team could establish separation as Pukl Verdel, Radulovic, Rendic and Neill answered the Panthers' early attacks
- With Florida Tech leading 12-11, Rendic delivered a crucial kill before a Panthers attacking error gave Lynn its first lead of the frame at 13-12
- Pukl Verdel continued to lead the charge, delivering three kills during a stretch that helped Lynn build a 17-15 advantage
- The Panthers refused to go away, using three consecutive points to erase a 19-17 deficit and move ahead 20-19
- Neill answered with a kill to even the score at 21-21 before a Florida Tech attacking error and a Pukl Verdel kill pushed Lynn ahead 23-21
- The Panthers responded with two straight points to tie the frame at 23-23, but Shaw delivered a clutch kill to give the Fighting Knights their first match point at 24-23
- Florida Tech fought off that opportunity and another at 25-24, forcing the set to 25-25 and threatening to extend the match
- With the pressure mounting, Shaw rose to the occasion once again, hammering home a kill to put Lynn ahead 26-25
- Clara Maidantchik then stepped behind the service line and delivered the decisive blow, firing a match-clinching service ace to secure a thrilling 27-25 victory and complete the sweep
- Lynn finished the final frame with 18 kills on .325 hitting, sealing its eighth consecutive victory and improving to 16-2 overall and 8-1 in SSC play
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Pukl Verdel delivered a sensational offensive performance, leading all players with 18 kills on a .389 hitting percentage while adding seven digs and a match-high three service aces
- Pukl Verdel finished with a match-high 21 points, accounting for nearly one-third of Lynn's 63 points
- Gorjup orchestrated Lynn's explosive attack with an outstanding 49 assists in just three sets, averaging 16.33 assists per set
- Gorjup also contributed seven digs, two kills and a service ace as the Fighting Knights recorded 57 kills on 122 attacks
- Neill was nearly unstoppable in the middle, recording 11 kills on a .474 hitting percentage, committing just two errors on 19 swings
- Shaw continued her efficient play with nine kills and just one error on 15 attacks for a team-best .533 hitting percentage
- Rendic added nine kills on .350 hitting while collecting six digs
- Radulovic contributed eight kills with just one error on 20 attempts, finishing with a .350 hitting percentage
- Maidantchik anchored the back row with a match-high 12 digs and added a service ace
- Ivy Westfall chipped in eight digs, while Gorjup and Pukl Verdel each finished with seven
- Lynn held commanding advantages in kills (57-31), assists (53-29), digs (46-37) and service aces (6-3)
- The Fighting Knights hit .348 in the opening set, .500 in the second and .325 in the third, finishing above .300 in all three frames
 
UP NEXT:
Lynn begins a tough four-game road trip this weekend, kicking off with a stop in Lakeland to take on Florida Southern on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7:00 pm.