BOCA RATON, Fla.- Opening up action against Montevallo University on Friday afternoon, the Palm Beach Atlantic University volleyball team got their busy weekend of volleyball started in the right direction as they pushed past MU by a 3-1 tally on the campus of Lynn University. Taking part in a cross-over tournament with PBA this weekend, Lynn hosted a strong slate of competition on Friday afternoon and evening.

Coming off some tough losses against Sunshine State Conference opponents in their last few outings, the Fish got back on the winning track against Montevallo. The Falcons jumped ahead in the match with an opening 25-21 set victory highlighted by an amazing .469 team hitting percentage (18 kills, 3 errors).

That opening set momentum would be quickly reversed by the Sailfish however in game two as they put forth their own superior hitting performance with a .421 team attack percentage (19 kills, 3 errors) that led to a dominating 25-16 victory. PBA rode their game two success to consecutive wins in games three and four to close out the match by the scores of 25-16 and 25-22 respectively.

The victory pushes PBA’s overall record to 9-12 while the Falcons drop to 16-12 on the season.

In what has been a soft spot at times for the Fish during the 2008 season quickly became a strength tonight as they placed three hitters in double-figures for kills.

Senior Brittany Erickson led the way once again for the Fish as she led all players with 15 kills while also chipping in with four block assists from her position.

The other two kills leaders for the Fish may be somewhat more surprising as sophomore Liz Fugate registered an amazing 14 kill performance with just three attacking errors for a stunning .458 attack percentage. Junior Jennifer Eldridge was the other PBA player reach double-digits in kills as she tallied 12 while also chipping in 11 digs.

Normally the team’s libero, Eldridge moved up and took a more aggressive on her way to a career-high in kills while Fugate also reached a career-high with 14 kills.

Leading the defensive effort for the Fish was the strong back-row play of freshman Katie Harris. A product of The Master’s Academy in Orlando, Florida, Harris has taken steps in recent weeks to move from a hitter’s position to a standout defensive specialist highlighted by an 18 dig performance against Montevallo.

The list goes on of solid PBA performances as senior Emily Ryerson connected for a season-high 45 assists while also adding in eight kills, six digs, and four total blocks (three assists, one solo).

As a team, the Fish produced one of their better overall efforts as they connected for a season-high .326 overall hitting percentage.

MU’s Katie Johnson and Katy Handrick led the efforts for MU with 14 and 13 kills respectively  while setter Joy Peschman dished out 41 assists in the losing cause. 

PBA continues their busy weekend with a 7 pm matchup with Lynn University followed by two more matches on their own home floor tomorrow beginning at 10 am.