ORLANDO, Fla. – Palm Beach Atlantic volleyball won two matches on Saturday at the SSC/GSC Crossover to finish the tournament 3-0. The Sailfish improve to 22-3 overall with the wins and are now 24-0 against the Gulf South Conference matches in regular season play in PBA's Division II era.
The Sailfish will be back in action on Tuesday night with a road match against No. 25 ranked Barry.
No. 18 Palm Beach Atlantic 3, Shorter 0
Palm Beach Atlantic won a tough first set over Shorter on Saturday, then cruised to wins in the second and third sets to sweep the Hawks. The Sailfish got another big match from Molly Burkhardt who was one dig shy of her third straight triple-double.
The Sailfish and Hawks were locked in a tight first set throughout, as PBA and SU had many ties including being tied at 25. The 'Fish got late kills in the set from Ally Rohn and Amber Rowoldt to keep the Sailfish alive, and Burkhardt picked up the kill to end the first set with the Sailfish on top 29-27.
The 'Fish cruised to a 25-17 victory in the second set, as solid defense held Shorter to just a -.031 hitting clip in the set. PBA won the final set 25-21, as the defensive effort remained strong in set three.
Raegan Grooms led the way offensively with a team-high 13 kills and added nine digs on the afternoon. Rowoldt added 12 kills for the 'Fish, and Burkhardt finished with 11 kills to go with her 19 assists, nine digs, and three blocks. Jennie Anderson had an efficient match, totaling eight kills on just 18 swings.
Rohn and libero Lilly Turner led the defensive effort with 16 digs each to lead the team, as Rohn added 15 assists while Turner had 10 for the 'Fish.
No. 18 Palm Beach Atlantic 3, Montevallo 1
Palm Beach Atlantic struggled in the opening set on Saturday night, as Montevallo hit .364 and limited the Sailfish to .105 as the Falcons won the opening set 25-17.
The Sailfish were down 6-1 in the second set before Doug Walters took a timeout. The 'Fish then went on a 13-3 run to open up a 14-9 lead. The 'Fish defense picked it up in the second set, holding Montevallo to just a .045 hitting mark and winning the set 25-20.
The Sailfish got out to a 5-0 lead in the third set, as Rohn picked up three service aces in the run. The 'Fish then got seven kills from their middles Span and Anderson in the set and won 25-19.
Grooms dominated the fourth set, as the senior picked up six kills, and finished the match with 15 as the 'Fish won 25-16 to close out the win. Grooms added 13 digs for another double-double.
Anderson finished with nine kills and Span finished with eight. Span led the 'Fish with eight blocks while Anderson had six which included two solo blocks.
Burkhardt finished the night with seven kills, 26 assists, and 10 digs. Rohn also had a double-double as she finished with 19 assists and 13 digs. Turner led the Sailfish with 18 digs on the night. Sophie Hoekstra had a solid match for the 'Fish, as the senior finished with 7 kills and five blocks.
