WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- The Palm Beach Atlantic University volleyball team posted two more victories on Friday afternoon and evening as they battled in the annual Pepsi Bash at the Beach Tournament hosted in the Greene Complex for Sports and Recreation. The Fish took down Shepherd University in a competitive 3-0 sweep then saw an even tougher effort from Seton Hill University in a 3-1 Sailfish victory in the nightcap.

The victories come three days after Palm Beach Atlantic (14-2) suffered their second loss of the season at No. 2-ranked University of Tampa on Tuesday. The Fish will battle two more opponents on Saturday to close out play for the tournament.

Junior Mariela Quesada proved to be unstoppable at times in both matches as she topped 20 kills both times including a new career-high of 25 kills in the four-set victory over Seton Hill as the San Jose, Costa Rica native took swing after swing at the opposing defense.

PBA 3, Shepherd University 0

The opening win over Shepherd (10-7) didn’t come without its challenges however as the Rams fell 27-25, 25-20, and 25-19. The Sailfish, who entered play this week ranked second in the nation in attacking percentage, were limited to  a .258 team attacking percentage by SU. The defense however was strong and stood the test as PBA limited their opponent to only a .157 hitting mark including just .107 in the third set.

Quesada finished with 20 kills and only five errors in 36 total attacks as she also finished with a double-double of 10 digs to go with her strong offensive showing.

Also aiding the defensive effort was a fantastic showing from freshman libero Melissa McPeek who posted a career-high of 25 digs while fellow freshman Becca Acevedo continued her solid first campaign with 36 assists in the win.

Sophomore lefty Christina Alessi finished with nine kills while seniors Lanae Robinson and Janeen McCormick chipped in with seven and six kills respectively. Freshman Anna Hays gave the team a big lift off the bench with seven kills in only 13 attacks for a superb .462 attacking percentage.

PBA 3, Seton Hill University 1

Moving to the Rubin Arena for their second match of the day, the Sailfish would take on a hot Seton Hill University team who was coming off a victory just minutes before against Davis & Elkins College in earlier tournament play.

The Griffins (14-8) brought intensity and gritty play to the court and despite being down 2-0 claimed a third set victory to force the match into a fourth set. PBA won the opening two by the scores of 26-24 and 25-21 before SHU chimed in with a 26-24 win of their own. The Fish closed the door for their 14th win of the season in set four with a more dominating 25-14 win.

Quesada was once again the anchor for the PBA offense as she finished with her 25 kills on 59 total attacks for a .339 attacking percentage. She would add in seven digs and four block assists in a match that saw the Fish step up their blocking efforts as a team as they tallied a total of 22 blocks in the match.

Robinson led the way in the middle from a blocking perspective as she finished with six block assists while McCormick and Alessi followed Quesada with three block assists each.

Robinson was the only other PBA player to reach double-figures in kills with 11 while McCormick added in eight kills in victory.

McPeek was once again spectacular in the backrow with another 25 digs while senior Allie Warren continues to work her way back into the lineup from a preseason injury as the Stuart, Florida and former Martin County High School standout managed 11 digs in just her third match back.

Acevedo was especially effective from the setter position against Seton Hill as she produced 49 assists and eight digs.

The Griffins were paced by three hitters with double-digit kill nights including 15 kills from Ashley Steinbach, 13 kills from Corrine Gahagan, and 10 more kills from Rebecca Robinson.  Courtney Field registered 42 assists in the loss while Olivia Matthews added in 20 digs to lead the defensive effort for Seton Hill.

The Sailfish will take on Davis & Elkins College at 10 am on Saturday morning in the Mahoney Gym and then square off against Johnson C. Smith University at 2 pm in the Rubin Arena. The match versus Johnson C. Smith will have a live video broadcast available.