WINTER PARK, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic volleyball team concluded its season on Saturday at Rollins.
The shorthanded Sailfish were missing a few starters due to injury, but still found themselves ahead 2-0 in the match. Rollins regrouped to win two sets of its own and force a fifth set. PBA trailed 8-6 in the final set, but it was able to pull off the comeback. The 'Fish scored nine of the set's last 11 points to win 15-11.
Mary Morgan Formby led the Sailfish attack with 21 kills, hitting .239.
Ally Schmidt recorded 11 kills, hitting .222.
Harper Stokes tallied nine kills, hitting an efficient .600 with two blocks.
Anna Beth Stokes totaled seven kills and three blocks.
Kaileigh Ammons added six kills and five total blocks.
Jayden Otto finished with 44 assists, eight digs, and three blocks in her final game as a Sailfish.
Payton Ahrenstorff led PBA with 14 assists as libero.
PBA opened the match on a 7-0 run, building an early advantage. Rollins came back to cut the deficit to two, but a 5-0 run with a pair of kills by Formby made it 19-11. The run gave the 'Fish enough breathing room to hold on for a 25-18 win to start the match.
The Sailfish were on fire in the second set. PBA hit a match-best .417 in the frame. The set was never in doubt as PBA cruised to a 25-17 win to take a 2-0 lead.
Rollins flipped the script in the third set. The Tars took an early lead and extended it after an 8-1 run gave the hosts a 22-13 lead. Rollins stayed alive by taking the third set, 25-14. After Rollins built a 20-16 lead in the fourth set, PBA came back with a 4-0 run with a kill by H. Stokes, an ace by A. Stokes, and a block from Otto and H. Stokes which tied the fourth at 20. Unfortunately for the 'Fish Rollins closed the set on a 5-1 run to win, 25-21.
Rollins led midway through the fifth set 8-6 with help from three unforced errors by the 'Fish. A 6-1 run with two kills by Schmidt, a kill from H. Stokes, and a kill from A. Stokes put the Sailfish back in front, 12-9. A pair of kills from Formby sealed the win for PBA, 15-11 in the set and 3-2 in the match.
PBA outhit the Tars, .271- .194. The 'Fish overcame 14 service errors to win the match.
Today's match was the final match of the season for the Sailfish. PBA volleyball ended the season strong, winning four of its last five matches, including a win over Eckerd, the No. 2 team in the South Region.
