WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic volleyball team began Sunshine State Conference play Tuesday night at home against Barry.
The Sailfish faced off against a Bucs team that entered the match undefeated and ranked No. 25 in the AVCA top-25 poll. The Sailfish improved in every set against Barry, but The Bucs came out on top in the match, 3-0.
"We did a good job of improving throughout the match and learning about what it takes to compete at the top of the SSC," PBA head coach Jeff Huebner said.
Kaileigh Ammons led PBA's attack, hitting an efficient .400 with five kills.
Anna Beth Stokes and
Harper Stokes totaled four kills each. H. Stokes led the Sailfish front row with four blocks. A. Stokes led PBA with 13 assists.
Jayna Bredenberg recorded seven digs as libero.
"Kaileigh and Harper played great matches as blockers and did a good job bothering their best attacker," Huebner said. "Jayna continues to improve every day and passed really well for our team."
The Bucs offense came out hot to start the match. The visitors hit .529 in the opening set with a 10-1 run in the middle of the set, putting the Bucs ahead comfortably, 21-8. PBA dropped the opening set to Barry, 25-10.
The Sailfish hung with the Bucs early in the second set, but the Barry front line frustrated the PBA attack. Three straight blocks by the Bucs and three Sailfish attacking errors gave Barry a 14-7 advantage in the set. The 'Fish traded points with the Bucs down the stretch but failed to string together a run, as BU held on to win, 25-18.
The 'Fish showed signs of fight in the third set. The Sailfish recorded their highest hitting percentage of the match, but ultimately, it was not enough against the Bucs. Barry won the final set 25-19 to clinch the sweep.
"We appreciate the Fish Bowl being loud and pushing the environment all the way to the end," Huebner said. "Looking forward to continuing to grow this week!"
PBA takes on another ranked opponent on Saturday, traveling down I-95 to face Lynn. The Fighting Knights are ranked No. 19 in the nation. The match in Boca Raton, Fla. takes place at 4 p.m.
