ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic volleyball team wrapped up its weekend with a match at Eckerd on Friday afternoon.

The Sailfish fell behind 2-0 in the match but battled all the way back to force a fifth set. Unfortunately for PBA (8-11, 4-7 SSC), it failed to complete the comeback against the Tritons that took the final set, 15-11. Eckerd (12-7, 5-6 SSC) has defeated PBA in two of its last three contests, but the 'Fish still lead their DII-era series against Eckerd, 13-9.

Amber Rowoldt and Alyse Cundiff led the PBA attack with 16 kills each. Cundiff hit .314 with nine digs while Rowoldt totaled seven digs and a block. Jazz Schmidt messed around and got a triple-double with 31 assists, 14 kills, and 13 digs while hitting .394. Mary Morgan Formby also stuffed the stat sheet with 20 assists, 13 kills, eight digs, and two blocks. Anna Gregerson and Maddy Hooper tied for a team-high three blocks each. Ally Smith finished with 15 digs, five assists, and two aces.

Similar to last night's match against Saint Leo, the Sailfish took a while to find its rhythm. PBA quickly fell behind 17-9 in the first set after a pair of runs by the Tritons. EC held its lead for the rest of the set, ending it on a 6-2 run and winning 25-16. PBA hit .375 in the first set, its best performance of the match. 

The second set followed a comparable script when the hosts took an 18-13 lead; however, the Sailfish awoke with a 7-2 run with three kills from Schmidt, a pair of kills from Cundiff, and a kill from Gregerson to tie the set at 20. Eckerd avoided the Sailfish comeback, finishing the second on a 5-1 run to win 25-21.

The Sailfish showed resiliency in the third set. With the third tied at 13, the 'Fish took advantage of a pair of attack errors and service errors by the Tritons to give PBA a 17-14 lead. Eckerd cut the deficit back down to one point, but this time it was the Sailfish closing the set on a 5-1 run with kills from Cundiff and Rowoldt, an ace from Smith, and a pair of blocks from Formby and Hooper. The Sailfish took the set, 25-20.

PBA continued to show some fight in the fourth set. With the 'Fish leading 20-19, Eckerd came roaring back with a 4-0 run to take a 23-20 lead. PBA stayed composed and tied the fourth at 23 after kills from Schmidt and Formby and a solo block by Gregerson. The Sailfish faced match point twice in the set, but survived each time, ending the set on a 3-0 run with an ace by Smith sealing a 27-25 win.

The Sailfish comeback ran out of gas in the fifth set. A 5-1 run allowed Eckerd to take a 10-4 lead. The 'Fish tried to fight their way back into the set with a pair of kills from Cundiff cutting the deficit to two. Eckerd ended the thought of another comeback by ending the set with a 3-1 run, earning the 15-11 set with a 3-2 match win.

The 'Fish hit .273 as a team in the match, but Eckerd outdid the visitors, hitting .361. Eckerd totaled 10 blocks and nine aces in the match compared to six blocks and five aces for the Sailfish.

The Sailfish travel to Lakeland, Fla. to compete in the Gulf South Crossover next weekend. Check pbasailfish.com for the updated schedule once the seeding for the tournament has been set.