WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic beach volleyball team bounced back this weekend with two big wins over the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa. This is the first time the Sailfish beach volleyball program has defeated Tampa since 2022.

Palm Beach Atlantic will remain at its home court, the Sailfish Beach Volleyball Courts, and host the PBA Invitational from Friday, March 14 to Saturday, March 15. PBA will face Lake Sumter State, Wingate, Emmanuel, and Barry over the span of two days. 

MATCH 1: PBA vs. USF | 3-2

PBA returned home to the Sailfish Beah Volleyball Courts to welcome the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa. In the first match of the day, the Sailfish faced the University of South Florida and collected a 3-2 victory. In the No. 1 position, Anna Dunbar and Serena Baumgart were seen notching scores of 21-18 and 21-17 to secure the early lead for PBA. The No. 2 pair, Cameron Ring and Katelyn Nadeau, followed closely with scores of 21-19, 23-21, to push PBA ahead 2-0. The No. 3 pair, Abby Plevin and Savannah DeCarlo, were seen putting up a fight but dropped the contest to their opponent.

With a 2-1 lead, the No. 4 flight saw Sydney Corbett and Annika Huhtamaki secure a critical match point. The pair fought with grit to defeat their opponent, posting scores of 21-24, 23-21, and 17-15. Corbett and Huhtamaki elevated PBA to a 3-1 advantage to secure the victory over USF. The No. 5 position featured Zoye Caroline and Angela Goggin putting forth their best effort but falling just short with scores of 21-16 and 21-19.

MATCH 2: PBA vs. TAMPA | 3-2

Another tough opponent saw the Sailfish putting forth their best flight matchups. PBA quickly trailed Tampa after dropping the match in the first two flights. In the No. 1 position, Dunbar and Baumgart fell short with scores of 21-17 and 21-18. The No. 2 pair, Ring and Nadeau, also fell just short of the mark with scores of 21-14 and 21-16. Trailing 2-0, the Sailfish started to carry momentum after the No. 3 flight saw Plevin and Huhtamaki win their match with scores of 21-19 and 21-19. 

The No. 4 pair, Corbett and DeCarlo, continued the rally after besting their opponents with scores of 21-14 and 21-19. With the match even at 2-2, the Sailfish put forth their best effort and saw the No. 5 position run a grueling three sets. Caroline and Goggin secured the 3-2 victory over Tampa after marking scores of 21-17, 21-11, and 17-15 against their opponent.