WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Regular season PBA volleyball returned to Rubin Arena for the first time in over 650 days. The Sailfish hosted their Hyatt Place Bash at the Beach for the first time since 2016.
PBA fed off the energy of the home crowd which helped propel the 'Fish to a pair of victories. The first match of the day took place at 11:30am against Emmanuel. The 'Fish started the day on a high note by defeating Emmanuel, 3-1. PBA finished the day with a clean sweep over American International behind Alyse Cundiff's 14 kills and nearly record-setting .580 efficiency.
The Bash at the Beach concludes tomorrow with PBA's first match at 11:30am against Lenoir-Rhyne and its second match of the day closing out the tournament against No. 18 Hillsdale at 7 p.m.
Palm Beach Atlantic – 3, Emmanuel – 1
The Sailfish needed little time to shake off the rust of playing in front of their home fans. PBA jumped out to an early lead to start the day by winning the first set 25-11. The offense was running at peak efficiency out of the game, hitting .480 in the opening set. Emmanuel bounced back in the second set, winning it 25-20 to tie the match at one set apiece.
The third set was a back-and-forth affair with both teams trading points the most of the match. With the set tied at 17, Emmanuel went on a 4-0 run to take a 21-17 lead. Unfortunately for the Lions, the Sailfish persevered. While trailing 23-21, PBA earned three straight points via a kill from Jazz Schmidt, a bad set from EC, and an ace from Alyssa Avitia which gave the hosts a 24-23 lead. Two Emmanuel miscues allowed PBA to steal the set 26-24 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
PBA came through when it mattered most again in the fourth and final set of the match. Two points from Emmanuel cut the 'Fish lead to 20-19, but a pair of kills from Cundiff along with a kill on a dump by Avitia swung the momentum to PBA and gave the Sailfish a 24-19 lead. Anna Gregerson closed out the match with a kill to seal the win for PBA. The Sailfish attack returned to its form from the first set, hitting .467 in the final set.
Amber Rowoldt led the 'Fish with 18 kills in the match and tallied a double-double with 11 digs. Cundiff ended with a double-double of her own with 12 kills and 10 digs. Mary Morgan Formby turned in an efficient performance for the 'Fish, hitting .389 with nine kills and one block. Schmidt led PBA with 38 assists to go with five kills and eight digs. Ally Smith led PBA with 17 digs with a pair of aces. Gregerson totaled six block assists in the match to go with four kills. As a team, PBA outhit the Lions, .271-.114.
Palm Beach Atlantic – 3, American International – 0
For the second time of the day, PBA got off to another hot start in its match against American International. The Sailfish took the first set, 25-12 to set the tone for the rest of the match. PBA continued to fire on all cylinders, hitting .345 in the opening set.
After American International took an early lead in the second set, the Sailfish battled back to take a 16-12 lead after a 7-3 run which included three kills from Rowoldt. The 'Fish did a good job of keeping their distance on the scoreboard for the rest of the set, winning it 25-20 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
American International did not go down without a fight in the third set. The Yellow Jackets held a 14-11 lead midway through the set. The Sailfish continued to stay within striking distance. Trailing AIC 22-20, PBA came up big again in crunch time with a 5-1 run, including two more kills from Rowoldt, a kill from Cundiff, and a service ace from Smith to close out the set, 25-23 and sealing the match for PBA.
Cundiff led PBA with 14 kills and a team-high .579 hitting percentage with four digs. Rowoldt was right behind with 12 kills, four digs, and three blocks. Formby reached double-digit kills for the first time as a Sailfish, finishing with 10. Schmidt led the squad in assists once more with 28. Smith matched her totaled from earlier in the day with 17. MaddyHooper led the PBA front row with five blocks. PBA hit .340 for the match which is its best performance in a match so far in the young season.
