WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic volleyball team closed out the 2022 Hyatt Place Bash at the Beach with matches against New Haven and Barton.

The Sailfish (5-2) were pushed to the limit in both matches as each went to five sets. PBA came through in the clutch and came out on top of its first two matches of the year that went the distance.

The 'Fish started their day with an 11:30 a.m. match against New Haven (3-4). The teams traded sets until PBA came on top of the fifth set, 15-12. The Sailfish concluded the day with a match against Barton (1-6). After taking the first two sets, the Bulldogs stayed alive and tied the match at two sets apiece. PBA took the fifth set 15-10 in front of a packed Rubin Arena to clinch the 2-0 day.

The Sailfish begin their Sunshine State Conference slate next weekend. PBA faces off against Palm Beach County rival Lynn at home on Friday night at 7 p.m.

Match One – PBA: 3, UNH: 2

Despite being outhit by New Haven .218 - .136, the Sailfish came out on top. PBA totaled 14 aces while the Chargers recorded 11 errors on serves.

The Sailfish took a tight first set, 25-23. PBA clinched the set after a 3-0 run which included kills from Mary Morgan Formby and Angeleyshka Curbelo. PBA fell a little flat in the second set, dropping it 25-15.

The 'Fish bounced back in the third set, winning 25-22. Formby put the exclamation point on the set with a pair of kills to put PBA ahead 2-1. A 5-0 run by the Chargers late in the fourth set was too much for the Sailfish to overcome with UNH winning 25-20.

With the fifth set tied at 10, the 'Fish began to pull away after a service error from the Chargers and kills by Anna Gregerson and Kayla Matthews. An unforced error by New Haven put PBA ahead 14-11 which set up Matthews for the match-winning kill.

Kayla Matthews played a huge role for PBA in the win. The transfer led the Sailfish with 14 kills, hitting .250 in the match with six digs and three aces. Curbelo was right behind her with 12 kills, seven digs, and three blocks. Jayden Otto tallied a team-high 34 assists and 20 digs. Kaileigh Ammons made her presence felt in the front row with six kills and five blocks.  Jayna Bredenberg finished one assist shy of a double-double, totaling 11 digs and nine assists.

Match Two – PBA: 3, BC: 2

The Sailfish outhit Barton, .283 - .131 in the match. PBA started the contest with two dominant set wins.

A kill and an ace by Ammons closed out a 25-17 win in the first set for PBA. The Sailfish were firing on all cylinders in the second set, hitting .355 in a convincing 25-14 win to take a 2-0 lead.

The third and fourth sets each required extra points. PBA had the chance to end the match in each set, but Barton refused to back down. The Bulldogs won the third and fourth sets each by a score of 28-26. The visitors stole the fourth set despite PBA hitting .342 in the set. 

PBA went to another level on offense in the fifth set. The Sailfish hit .600 in the final frame. The set included three kills from Gregerson and a pair of kills each from Matthews and Curbelo. An attacking error by the Bulldogs clinched the 15-10 set win and the match for PBA.

Matthews led PBA again with 14 kills and three digs while hitting .346. Curbelo totaled 11 kills with three blocks. Ammons notched 10 kills, hitting .389 with six digs, five blocks, and four aces. Anna Beth Stokes handled setting duties, totaling 47 assists with seven kills, seven digs, and three blocks. Formby recorded seven kills and three blocks. Gregerson notched six kills with four blocks. Bredenberg dug up a team-high 14 balls with four assists while Cienna Oniwa totaled 12 digs. Lauren Cummings had three service aces with four kills and two assists. Abbie Zylstra added five kills, hitting .333 with nine digs.