(Selden, NY) The Tigers came out flat against Suffolk in the first set, digging themselves an early hole. Due to illness, a change to the starting lineup was made, and the Tigers just couldn't get the team chemistry they are known for to start flowing.

Confusion throughout the match led to players colliding at times and frequently competing for the same ball in the back line. This led to some poor passes which in turn led to dumps and off balanced attack attempts that lacked power. Additionally, front line players failed to get off the net to cover the 10 foot line  in a timely manner, and also struggled to block the Suffolk hitters. Because of the errors in communication and positions, the team chemistry was off. Also, the Suffolk middles did a great job of locating the ball in the alleys which would have been challenging to handle even if FIT was playing sharp. Despite the relatively close scores, the match was all Suffolk with FIT having the best chance to win the first set down 20-24 with the serve.

"We had to have Cassie come off the bench because she was just getting over an illness. In addition to coming out flat, I think we got out of position many times because we were playing a combination we aren't normally used to. We need to do a better job of being able to step up in different positions and combinations to be effective as a team. Doing that will automatically being the energy up." - Head Coach Keith Heron

After an extended break between matches, the Tigers again got out to a cold start, falling behind by 7 points before finally mounting a comeback. Down 15-20 in the first set and in danger of dropping their 4th straight set of the day, the Tigers responded, tieing the match at 24. The Tigers had 4 opporuntities at set point with the serve but could not capitalize. Two separate NCC crossing attack attempts hit the top of the net, danced along the tape towards the sideline and fell inbounds on the FIT side, giving a point to the Lions. It was a real roller coaster of a finish to the first set. Each time FIT got momentum and set point, it seemed they thought would put the set away but Nassau just kept fighting back, and won the first set 32-30. "It was good to have the Tigers I knew back. Having our sophomore co-captain and emotional leader, Cassandra Burdick back in the starting rotation I think really helped.  She is really good at keeping everyone positive and keeping our team vibe in the right place which is key when the going gets tough. All of the miscommunication and errors we made earlier in the day against Suffolk had been corrected and our positive energy had returned. Despite loosing the set, we felt good about our effort and confident that we could make a comeback and win," said Heron.

FIT rode the momentum to a 25-13 win in the second set and built a 20-12 lead in the third set. The Lions would make it interesting coming all the way back to within 4 before freshman Erin Dee put an end to the NCC run and the set with a booming kill. "We struggled with the NCC serve and had been a little timid offensively in the third set during the NCC run.  After a timeout when we encouraged the team to be more aggessive, they really responded. I am proud of how coachable and positive this team is." -Keith Heron

The Tigers jumped out to another impressive lead that NCC would again come back from in the 4th set when freshmen Alyssa Palmer, who provided some solid play off the bench at key moments in both matches of the day, put a ball away right down the middle, giving the set to FIT 25-20 and the match to the Tigers 3-1. 
"Today, it seemed like two different Tiger teams showed up to play our two different opponents. The result against Suffolk is not representative of our capabilities. We just have to work on hitting our stride earlier and playing with a more  consistent confidence level." - head coach Keith Heron.

Top Tiger performers of the day were:
Freshman co-captain Arpi Dayian with 24 digs, 17 assists, and 8 kills;
Sophomore Vanessa Bennish with 14 kills, and 15 digs;
Sophomore Hannah Edwards led up the defense with 44 digs, 32 of which came against Nassau in the second match of the day.

Next up for FIT,  the Tigers head back up to the Bronx for the second Thursday in a row, this time to face CUNY rival Hostos CC at 7pm.  
Go Tigers!