Lady Falcons Conclude A Hard Fought Weekend at Home

TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. – Florida College volleyball tipped off its 2025 season with a challenging four-match tournament at home, ultimately finishing the weekend 0-4.

The Falcons opened Friday afternoon against Loyola, starting hot with a dominant 25-16 first-set win. Loyola, however, answered back by taking the next three sets (25-18, 25-19, 25-14) to claim the 3-1 victory. Fiona Sampaio led FC with 16 kills and 18 digs, while Cassidy Lee added nine kills, three aces, and 13 digs.

Later that evening, Florida College pushed St. Thomas to five sets in a back-and-forth battle. After dropping the opening frame, the Falcons rallied for two straight set wins before St. Thomas forced a decisive fifth. The Bobcats pulled away late to secure a 3-2 win (25-17, 20-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-9). Raquel Teixeira posted 15 kills and 11 digs, while Sampaio added 16 kills. Setter Taina de Lima Nunes handed out 39 assists and collected 13 digs.

On Saturday, Florida College returned to action against Warner, where the Royals controlled the match in straight sets (25-16, 26-24, 25-20). Teixeira again led the way with 10 kills and nine digs, while Sampaio contributed eight kills and 12 digs. Lee chipped in five kills and four aces.

The Falcons closed the weekend with another five-set match, falling 3-2 to Park-Gilbert. After trading set wins through the first three frames, the fourth set stretched into extra points, with Park-Gilbert escaping 31-29 before finishing the match 15-10 in the fifth. Teixeira turned in a standout performance with 16 kills and 26 digs, while Sampaio had 14 kills and 17 digs. Nunes tallied 42 assists, and Lee added 10 kills and 15 digs.

Weekend Recap:
Despite the 0-4 result, the Falcons showed resilience across the tournament, taking two matches to five sets and competing hard against strong opponents. Teixeira and Sampaio were consistent offensive leaders throughout the weekend, while Nunes anchored the offense.