On Saurday, the Tigers made it 6 straight wins with an impressive double dual sweep of upstate foes Rockland CC and Westchester CC. Entering the day, Westchester was a notch ahead of FIT, and Rockland was tied with the Tigers in region standings. Knowing how important the day would be, something was in the air during the FIT warm ups.... it was clear that team was fired up and ready to play!
First up for the Tigers on the day was Rockland CC. In the first set, FIT came out firing on all cylinders, coasting to an easy 25-15 win. Still high on energy, the team stormed out to a lead in the second set behind a season best performance by freshman middle
Jodi Ling. She was flat out unstoppable, putting down 7 kills to go along with some great defensive play at the net leading the team to a 25-19 win of the second set. FIT would go on to win the third set 25-20 and the match 3-0
The match was a total team effort. In each of the 3 sets, 5 different Tigers recorded kills. Also, throughout the match, 5 different Tigers recorded assists, and the whole front line played great defense at the net. "Let's not forget the back line defense. It's so easy for their efforts to go unnoticed. They played great today because without them, there is no offense. Every great kill starts with a great pass," said head coach
Keith Heron.
Next up on the day for the Tigers was Westchester CC. On paper, the two teams matched up very evenly, but the Tigers' confidence level was at a season high. Coming off a 4-set battle against BMCC earlier in the day which resulted in a loss, WCC was not able to muster enough effort to compete with the Tigers for the long haul.
In the first set, both teams see sawed back and forth, exchanging points and feeling each other out. Halfway through the set with the score knotted at 19 during a WCC timeout, FIT knew the first team to make a run would win the set. Fit scored the next three points, and took the set to match point, 24 - 21. WCC tied the match up, but FIT scored the next 2 to win the set 26-24.
After making some adjustments between sets, the Tigers were able to put away WCC in the second set 25-17. FIT would then make am incredible run using the first serve of the 3rd set. WCC was unable to handle the powerful and well placed serves from sophomore
Christina Wong. The great serving performance was prolonged by a key defensive play turned in by
Christina Wong and sophomore libero
Hannah Edwards. This run led FIT to a 7-0 start to the set, a lead that seemed like a knock out punch taking the energy out of WCC. But, a few points later, the WCC middle hitter #4 took over the serve and went on a run of her own. Bringing the set to within 2 points at 14-12, FIT called a timeout to regroup. After getting the next point, there was no looking back for the Tigers who went on to win the set 25-15 and the match 3 sets to 0
"We really hit our stride today. We just felt unstoppable and played like it. I am so proud of the team effort we showed today, we got production from every position. The players who came in off the bench all did their jobs very well and it is nice to know we can count on them when the going gets tough. Our energy is in the perfect place, and this couldn't have come at a better time for us as we prepare for senior night on Thursday. I can't wait!!!" - Coach Keith
Top Tigers of the day were:
Sophomore co-captain Cassandra Burdick (22 digs, 19 assists)
Freshman co-captain Arpi Dayian (29 assists, 13 digs, 4 aces)
Each recording 15 kills were sophomore Vanessa Bennish (22 digs, 4 aces), freshman Jodi Ling (3 blocks and 2 block assists) and freshman Erin Dee.
Also adding 11 kills and 7 digs was sophomore Jillian Staebler.
Next up for the Tigers, a big senior night double header Thursday night at 6pm vs BMCC and Hostos CC. Come down and support your team in their last home game of the regular season! Those who can't be in attendance can watch live on the FIT Tigers website www.fittigers.com
