Blue Raiders Defeat FIU to Clinch Spot in C-USA Tournament

Saturday, November 16

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

10:00 AM CT

Middle Tennessee

-1316,68 CUSA

FIU

-916,211 CUSA

FIU

Middle Tenn.

11/16/2019 2:01:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

By: @MTAthletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Middle Tennessee volleyball team defeated FIU Saturday afternoon to secure a spot in the Conference USA tournament for the first time since 2013.

The Blue Raiders downed the Panthers in five sets by scores of 25-20, 22-25, 17-25, 26-24, 15-7, improving to 13-16 overall and 6-8 in the conference, while the Panthers fall to 10-16 overall and 3-11 in the league.

Dora Peonia led the team in attacks, finishing with 17 total kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Freshman Kayla Henley finished with 13 kills, and Samira Lawson Body finished with nine kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Bri Tankesley held it down in the back row, tallying 19 digs in the five sets, and freshman Marley Banton, who leads the team in service aces, recorded three more aces on the match.

The Blue Raiders out-blocked the Panthers 15.0-4.0, which is a season high for the team.

Set-By-Set
FIU took a 2-1 lead in set one, but that was short-lived as the Blue Raiders tied it up 2-2 with a kill from Henley. The Panthers tied the score up again at 4-4, but MT went on a 4-0 run to take an 8-4 lead, with Sarah Sumida serving. The Blue Raiders held on to the lead the rest of the set and eventually took the set 25-20 with a kill from Taylor Hammill. MT had 17 total kills in set one, and Urte Neimantaite led the set with five kills.

In set two, FIU had a 3-1 until the Blue Raiders tied it up 3-3 with a Henley kill. The Panthers responded with a kill as well to take back the lead, which they kept for the rest of the set. MT came within two at 23-21 after back-to-back kills from Lawson Body, but FIU ended the set with a kill, 25-22.

The Panthers scored the first point of set three with a kill, but with the assist from Hammill, the Blue Raiders responded right back with a Peonia kill. FIU took back a 10-4 lead, but MT went on a 6-0 run to tie it up at 10-10 after consistent serving from Banton and a few Blue Raider kills. The last tied score of the set was 12-12, when the Panthers took back the lead and claimed the set 25-17. The Blue Raiders had six total blocks in set three alone.

MT came back ready to fight in set four, starting off with a Henley kill. The teams battled back and forth and were tied at 12-12, but the Blue Raiders went on a 5-0 run to take a 17-12 lead. At 24-20, FIU went on a 4-0 run to tie it up, 24-24, but a kill from Lawson Body and an FIU attacking allowed the Blue Raiders to clench the set, 26-24.

The Blue Raiders got to a 3-0 lead before FIU scored one on a kill. MT then took a bigger 8-4 lead at the side change, and continued to lead the rest of the set. A kill from Henley sealed the deal for the Blue Raiders, claiming the set 15-7 and the match.
Crawford's Comments
"Today was a pivotal win for our program," said head coach Chuck Crawford. "This group of young women move the needle in terms of how we play the game and what our culture expects and demands. Our seniors have shown great leadership and steadfastness every day of this year. This game was a defining moment in so many ways, but the wonderful thing about the match was that the younger players learn how to battle in the moment, and now they have been tested and the program will reap the benefits of this night and this year for years to come."

Team Notes

Dora Peonia has led the team attacks on 15 occasions and has recorded 13 double-doubles on the season. She also recorded a career-high 23 kills against Marshall, and a career-high .636 hitting percentage against UT Martin.
Urte Neimantaite tallied a career-high 19 kills on two occasions, against Tennessee Tech and Marshall. She has one double-double on the season and has led the team attacks on nine occasions.
Neimantaite is ranked 10^th in the conference for her average 3.23 kills per set.
Taylor Hammill recorded her 2,000^th career-assist against Marshall on October 11. She has also recorded 12 double-doubles this season. Hammill is ranked fourth in the conference for her 9.95 assists per set.
Hammill recorded a season-high 52 assists on two occasions and a season-high 18 digs, and is tied for third on the team with 21 total service aces on the year.
Bri Tankesley recorded her 1,000^th dig against UT Martin on October 22. She also recorded a career-high four aces against Alabama A&M and a season-high 26 digs against Marshall.
Tankesley is also ranked seventh in the conference for her average 3.67 digs per set, and is second on the team in service aces with 24 total.
Amalie Jorgensen nearly doubled her career-high blocks against North Texas, finishing with 11 total on the match.
Kayla Henley has recorded four double-doubles on the season. She also tallied a career-high 19 digs against Western Illinois.
Marley Banton leads the team in service aces with 27 total on the year.
Mikaela Weidmann leads the team in blocks with 98.0 total, and is tied for third on the team in service aces with 21.

Up Next
The Blue Raiders are headed to Houston, Texas next weekend for the Conference USA tournament hosted by Rice.

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