DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – No. 4 ranked Palm Beach Atlantic volleyball faced a tough road test Friday night, as they traveled for their first road Sunshine State Conference match against Embry-Riddle. The Sailfish were taken to five sets for the second time this season, but came up with big kills when they needed them most, and took the match in five sets to remain unbeaten.
The Sailfish and Eagles were locked in a tight first set on Friday, as the 'Fish led 14-13 midway through the set. The 'Fish then went on a 9-1 run, with five different players picking up kills, and pulled away and won the set 25-17. The 'Fish hit .263 in the set, and had 14 kills to just four errors.
The second set was all Eagles early, as they jumped out to a 10-6 lead and never looked back, winning the set 25-20 to even up the match. The Eagles hit .233 in the set and held PBA to just a .167 clip.
The Sailfish held a lead in the third set at 17-16 after a big kill from Molly Burkhardt, but Embry-Riddle won the next four points to take a 20-17 lead. A couple late errors by the 'Fish and a couple big kills led ERAU to a set victory and a commanding 2-1 lead in the match.
PBA needed a fourth set win to stay alive in the match, and turned to the seniors who stepped up in a big way. The trio of Raegan Grooms, Sophie Hoekstra, and Maddie Span combined for 10 kills in the fourth set and the Sailfish held on late for a 25-23 win to send the match to a deciding fifth set.
The Sailfish held a 7-6 lead in the fifth set, before Burkhardt, Hoekstra, and Span came up with kills to extend the Sailfish lead to 11-6. ERAU won the next three points to cut the lead to 11-9, and after PBA head coach Doug Walters used a timeout, the 'Fish rattled off four consecutive points capped off by two Span kills to win the match in five sets.
Amber Rowoldt had another solid match for the Sailfish in her freshman season, finishing with 19 kills and 11 digs. Grooms finished with 15 kills on the night and also added 11 digs for a double-double. The Sailfish middles Span and Jennie Anderson combined for an impressive 17 kills and just three errors. Hoekstra had her best match of the season so far, as the senior came up with 10 kills on the night, and also added three blocks and seven digs.
Burkhardt finished with 56 assists in the match, and also added 25 digs, five kills, and six blocks. Lilly Turner came up big with 34 digs in the match, while Ally Smith added 10 digs.
The Sailfish will look to stay unbeaten tomorrow, Sept. 15 as they will face off against Florida Tech at 4 p.m. in Melbourne, Fla.
