ST. LEO, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic volleyball team began its weekend on the west side of the Sunshine State on Friday night when it faced SSC-foe Saint Leo.

The Sailfish quickly faced a 2-0 deficit in the match but hoped to repeat 2019's heroics against the Lions (7-10, 3-6 SSC) where PBA (8-10, 4-6 SSC) battled all the back for the reverse sweep. Unfortunately for the 'Fish, a repeat was not in the cards as the 'Fish fell to the Lions, 3-0.

Jazz Schmidt still turned in her usual performance, tallying her seventh double-double of the season. The Parker, Colo. native led PBA in assists (20) and kills (11) while hitting an efficient .647, tying for the fifth-highest hitting percentage in a match in PBA's DII-era. Mary Morgan Formby recorded 17 assists, eight kills, and three blocks. Amber Rowoldt totaled nine kills, five digs, and two blocks. Ally Smith tallied 18 digs from the libero position. Alyse Cundiff added seven kills and four digs.

The 'Fish got off to a slow start in the match, falling behind 20-14 in the opening set. A 6-1 run with kills from Anna Gregerson, Formby, and Rowoldt, along with three errors by the Lions, cut the deficit to one. It looked like PBA was going to steal the set after a kill by Schmidt gave the 'Fish a 24-23 lead. Saint Leo refused to give in, ending the first on a 3-0 run, to win the set 26-24. The Sailfish hit a match-best .242 in the first set.

An 8-2 run in the middle of the second set allowed the Lions to take a 19-13 lead. Unforced errors were costly for the 'Fish, tallying 10 attack errors in the second, despite just one block from the Lions' front row. SLU put away the set, 25-17.

PBA tried to stay alive in the third set, the most consistently competitive set of the match. The third had 11 ties and six lead changes. A 5-1 run with kills from Formby and Rowoldt along with an ace by Lauren Cummings gave the 'Fish a 13-12 lead. They did not hold the lead for long as each team traded leads. A solo block from Rowoldt made it a two-point deficit, but PBA failed to take the set, dropping the third, 25-20, and the match, 3-0.

The Sailfish hit .148 in the match compared to a .294 hitting percentage for the Lions. The Sailfish totaled 25 attacking errors compared to just 14 for SLU, despite the hosts only converting two more blocks than PBA.

The Sailfish look to bounce back tomorrow against Eckerd. The match in St. Petersburg, Fla. starts at 4 p.m.