ST. LEO, Fla. – Palm Beach Atlantic volleyball dropped their second match in as many days on Saturday, as they fell on the road to Saint Leo. The Sailfish drop to 14-3 with the loss and now sit at 6-3 in Sunshine State Conference play. Saint Leo improves to 5-3 in league play and 8-8 overall with the win.
The Sailfish fell behind two sets to none for the second day in a row, as Saint Leo got out to an 11-3 lead in set one, and held on late to win 25-23. Amber Rowoldt had a solid first set for the 'Fish with four kills and a service ace but it was not enough for the 'Fish as the Lions hit .286 in the set.
The second set was closely contested early, as the Sailfish and Lions were tied at 15. Saint Leo then closed out the set on a 10-4 run to take the set 25-19.
The 'Fish fought back in set three for the second night in a row, as PBA hit .406 in the set and held on to win the set 25-21. Raegan Grooms came up with two kills late in the set, including her 1,000th career collegiate kill, to help the 'Fish win the set.
The Sailfish trailed for much of the fourth set and were down 20-15 late in the set. The 'Fish then rattled off five points in a row to tie the set at 20, but fell a little short as they dropped the set 25-23.
Rowoldt led the Sailfish on the afternoon with 14 kills, as the freshman added 14 digs and three blocks. Maddie Span and Sophie Hoekstra both had nine kills and five errors on the day, while span had seven total blocks including two solo blocks. Jennie Anderson had an incredibly efficient day, as she finished with six kills in just seven attempts with nine blocks.
Molly Burkhardt had 41 assists in the match while adding five kills and 11 digs. Lilly Turner led the Sailfish with 23 digs on the day while Ally Smith added 11.
The Sailfish will travel to Davie, Fla. on Tuesday as they will face off against Nova Southeastern at 7 p.m.
