CEDARVILLE, Ohio – The Palm Beach Atlantic volleyball team began its season on Friday at the Cedarville Invitational. PBA played a pair of matches, picking up wins over Shepherd and Glenville State.
The Sailfish (2-0) won both matches in three sets each. Abbie Zylstra led the 'Fish with 14 kills, hitting .212. Jayden Otto recorded her 3,000th career assist while helping PBA defeat the Rams (0-2). Mary Morgan Formby led the charge in the second match against GSU (0-2), recording a team-high nine kills in PBA's second win of the day.
PBA plays two more matches on Saturday. The Sailfish start the day against UNC Pembroke at 11:30 p.m. followed by a primetime matchup against the host school, Cedarville.
Match One – PBA: 3, SU: 0
The Sailfish started the day in dominating fashion against Shepherd. The Rams led early in the set, but PBA ended the first set on a 19-3 run to win the set 25-11.
PBA's offense ran efficiently in the second set, but unforced service errors kept the Rams in the set. A kill from Zylstra and an ace from Kaileigh Ammons started a 6-1 run that put the 'Fish ahead, 24-17, and put the game out of reach. PBA hit .444 in the frame, winning 25-18 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The 'Fish kept the momentum going in the third set. The Sailfish rocketed to a 17-3 run that included nine unforced errors by the Rams. Shepherd did not go down without a fight. With PBA leading 20-5, the Rams rattled off a 13-2 run to shrink PBA's lead to four points. It was too late for a comeback as a pair of kills by Ammons and a kill from Zylstra closed out the set 25-21 and completed the sweep.
Jayden Otto recorded a double-double with a team-high 27 assists and tying Payton Ahrenstorff with a team-high 10 digs. Ahrenstorff recorded three aces and five assists in the match. Formby tallied eight kills with a .467 hitting percentage. Lily Thomason and Ammons finished with seven kills each. Thomason led PBA with a .538 hitting percentage. PBA outhit the Rams .265 - .090 in the match.
Match Two – PBA: 3, GSU: 0
The Sailfish started strong against Glenville State, taking an early 16-8 lead in the first set. The Pioneers got back into the set due to three unforced errors by PBA and a pair of aces, cutting the deficit to three. PBA pulled itself together and closed the set on a 7-2 run with two aces by Taylor Nelson and kills from Ammons and Zylstra.
The beginning of the second set was a back-and-forth battle. The Sailfish broke the game open with an 8-1 run, including three kills from Formby to take a 21-12 lead. Ammons closed the set with a kill to seal the frame, 25-14.
The third set was tightly contested as the teams traded runs. A PBA attack error made it 20-18 PBA. Back-to-back kills by Anna Beth Stokes and an ace by Zylstra gave the 'Fish some breathing room, 23-18. After a GSU kill, a bad set by the Pioneers made it 24-19 PBA. GSU regrouped for a 4-0 run to make it 23-25, but a kill from Harper Stokes clinched the sweep for the Sailfish.
Formby had an efficient nine kills, hitting .438. Zylstra and Thomason totaled six kills each. Otto recorded 21 assists and two digs. Ahrenstorff and Nelson tied for a team-high six digs. PBA outhit GSU .217 - .041 in the match.
