WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic volleyball team opened Sunshine State Conference play tonight by hosting the No. 22 ranked Barry Buccaneers at Rubin Arena. The Sailfish dropped the opening set to their ranked opponents before coming back and taking the next three sets to down the Bucs. With the win, the 'Fish move to 5-3 overall and 1-0 in SSC play.

Abbie Zylstra continues to lead the Sailfish in kills as PBA's outside hitter was fed throughout the night, finishing with 15 kills on 45 swings. The Sailfish continue to be efficient up the middle as Kaileigh Ammons and Harper Stokes each recorded double-digit kills while hitting .438 and .364 respectively. The duo also provided a defensive wall as the Sailfish finished the match with 15 blocks, nine of which involved Ammons.

A back-and-forth first set went the way of the visiting side as the Bucs were able to go on a 5-0 run after the set was tied at 15. The Sailfish were strong defensively as they limited the Bucs to a .139 hitting percentage as libero Payton Ahrenstorff was in the right spot most of the night as she and setter Jayden Otto each had double-digit dig performances. 

The biggest story of the night was how the Sailfish handled reigning SSC Player of the Year in Barry's Diana Akopova. While she finished with a match-high 17 kills, it took her 45 swings to do so as she hit just .156 on the night. With Barry never able to get their main piece going, it was the Sailfish who had all of the momentum in the second and third sets, taking them 25-20 and 25-17.

With Barry playing with their backs against the wall, they jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the fourth set. Otto finished with a match-high 37 assists as she was able to distribute the ball to Sailfish attackers who helped PBA storm back, behind a raucous Rubin Arena crowd to hit a match-best .385 in the final set.

With a perfect start to SSC play wrapped up for the Sailfish, they have to quickly refocus for a quick turnaround. They will hit the road to face a Lynn side that is expected to be one of the top sides in the league tomorrow at 4 pm. The Fighting Knights are 7-2 on the season and opened SSC play with a win over Nova Southeastern.