LAKE WALES, Fla. | A thrilling match between Florida Memorial and Warner went the distance, ending with the Lions falling to the Royals 2-3 (17-25, 25-20, 25-14, 16-25, 12-15). The match marks the first time this season the Lions played five sets in a match.

Both teams would trade set domination as the Royals handed the Lions the 17-25 loss in set one. Set two was a back-and-forth affair, but FMU pulled away by outscoring Warner 8-2 to take the set two victory.

Set three was all Florida Memorial, comfortably taking down the Royals in a dominating 25-14 set three win. Up 2-1 the Lions were one set away from getting their second conference win of the season.

Warner had other plans, as they took a commanding 25-16 win in set four, forcing the game into a fifth set. In a close dual between the two Sun Conference rivals, Warner scored the final four points to take the fifth set 15-12 and win the match 3-2.

Outside hitter Maria Rodriguez led the match with 19 kills, her highest in a match this season, followed by Rafaela Nogueira with 14 kills, also a season high, and Bethania Barreto with eight. Setter Agustina Busque led the match in assists with 39 and Nogueria led the match with 19 digs.

The loss marks the third straight for FMU, dropping them to 3-5 on the year and 1-5 in conference play.

The Lions return to action Saturday, October 7, where they will host Southeastern for a Sun Conference matchup. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET at the FMU Wellness Center.
 

Follow Florida Memorial University Athletics on social media
Instagram: @GoFMULions/@FMULionsvolleyball | Twitter: @GoFMULions/@volleyball_FMU | YouTube: Official FMU Lions