TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. (Nov. 15, 2024) — Women's volleyball (24-4) booked a trip to the semifinal of the 2024 Continental Athletic Conference (CAC) Volleyball Championship. The Conquistadors posted a 3-0 win over Fisher College (20-15) and a 3-1 victory against Spartanburg Methodist College (18-18) to win Pool B.

In the opening match, the Conquistadors posted a 25-17 win in set one before closing the match with 25-14 victories in sets two and three. Fisher dug themselves into a hole early, committing three attacking errors to give FNU a 4-0 lead. The Falcons fought back thanks in part to back-to-back attacking missteps from Sofia Moreno Bendala. With the score standing at 4-3, FNU increased its lead thanks to a 7-0 run midway. A service error by Caroline Saucier ended set one and FNU used this momentum to dominate set two. 

Layla Cortez posted four kills in the second frame and a set-clinching block by Gabriela Gonzalez and Brianna Grabowski put the No. 2-seeded Conquistadors ahead 2-0. The Conquistadors went on an 11-3 lead down the stretch before heading to what would be the third and final set. Fisher ran out of answers in the third, posting just five kills and allowing 14 from FNU. Elis Cordova-Millet accounted for five of FNU's kills in the frame and Fisher's 11th service error of the afternoon earned FNU its first win in the CAC tournament since 2022. 

Match two was a real struggle for dominance in the early going for both teams. FNU seemed to have the edge to outlast the Pioneers in key stretches. The opener was a 25-23 victory for FNU, and they were primarily led by a four-kill performance from Morales. FNU trailed 21-16 before closing out the frame on a 9-2 run. SMC posted four attacking errors in that frame but made up for it in the second. 

The Pioneers leveled the contest after a 25-23 win in game two. The Pioneers grabbed a 5-1 lead early and were able to deny FNU a late-set comeback on a kill by Brook Noe. Florida National had eight attacking errors that proved to hurt them at the end of the set. In the third, the Conquistadors got back on track, taking a 7-1 lead to start the frame. SMC was able to tie things up at 10-10 on a kill courtesy of Brantlie Price. FNU claimed the hard-fought point on an 8-3 run capped off by a kill from Morales.

The Conquistadors were determined to end this match in the fourth, using Morales to close out the frame on a 4-1 run after falling behind 27-26. Morales picked up her final three kills in that stretch to end the night with a team-high. Ivette Sandoval totaled seven assists in the period. 

Up Next: FNU moves on to the semifinal match tomorrow with a chance to capture a CAC title on the line.