The Pioneers challenged No. 1 Florida Southwestern on their home floor.

Wednesday, October 4^th, Indian River volleyball puts up a dogfight against #1 Florida Southwestern but unfortunately could not withstand the fight.

The Pioneers started off to a slow start in the first set as the Bucs were up 3-11. After a few back-and-forth rallies, Indian River finally settled in and fought back. Big kills from Freshman outside, Sara Dasic kept The River alive but, in the end, it was too late. FSW took set one 15-25.

The energy and momentum were on the side with the Bucs, but this did not stop the Pioneers in the second set. Battling point for point, huge plays made by Indian River allowed them to string multiple runs together. The Pioneers continued to make a big push, closing the gap to just within two at 18-20. After a Bucs timeout, Indian River pursued the big push as they closed the gap again but this time, up by two 23-21. Just when it looked like IRSC was going to take a set off #1 FSW, the Bucs bounced back winning set two 23-25.

The dogfight continued as the Pioneers and the Bucs traded blows back-and-forth throughout the third set. Indian River found themselves stuck but eventually established their rhythm once again. Staying resilient, the Pioneers fought until the very end with great momentum changing plays but ultimately came up short and the Bucs took set three 20-25, winning the match 3-0.

Key contributors for the match include: Freshman outside, Sara Dasic(10 kills), Freshman opposite, Wiktoria Telecka (7 kills), and Sophomore setter, Franziska Kopold (26 assists). Also, Indian River had a team total of 8 aces throughout the match with 5 of them being from the second set.

Indian River State College volleyball will hit the road to travel to Hillsborough Community College for a key Citrus Conference match on Saturday, October 7^th at 2pm.