FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Palm Beach Atlantic (3-1, 0-0 Sunshine State) had a mixed performance to conclude the Shark Invitational, achieving a decisive 3-0 victory against Middle Georgia State (0-4, 0-0 Peach Belt) before falling to Nova Southeastern University (4-0, 0-0 Sunshine State) in a straight-set defeat in a non conference matchup.
"A tough weekend finish for the Fish," PBA head coach
Jeff Huebner said. "Ava had an incredible weekend for us as well as Sydney. I thought Katie improved throughout the weekend offensively and defensively. So many things for us to take pride in and so many things to work on and I am excited to get after it this week before the Premier."
Looking ahead, Palm Beach Atlantic will take on Lewis on Friday, Sept. 4, with the match taking place at 4 p.m. ET in Denver, Colorado. That match starts off the Colorado Premier Challenge hosted by Regis University and MSU Denver.
Game One - PBA: 3, MGA: 0
In the match against Middle Georgia State, the 'Fish posted a .267 hitting percentage and made offense difficult for the Knights, who recorded a negative hitting percentage of -.027.
Kaelynn Sims led the team with 11 kills and added one ace, while
Juliana Imbuzeiro recorded 18 assists and six digs, orchestrating the team's play. Defensively,
Sofia Augusto was strong, amassing 21 digs, and
Sydney Corbett supported the offense with six kills and matched that with six digs.
Palm Beach Atlantic opened the match with a strong defensive presence, recording multiple blocks, including key plays from Sims and Imbuzeiro, establishing an early lead. Imbuzeiro also contributed offensively by assisting on several kills, including one by Sims, increasing the Sailfish's advantage to 3-1. As the set progressed, the 'Fish maintained control with effective attacking, highlighted by
Ava McIntyre's kill from
Renee Direny and consistent scoring from Corbett and
Simi Kapustova. Despite some resistance from MGA, the Sailfish closed the first set with a commanding 25-13 lead.
The Sailfish capitalized on a strong offensive surge midway through the second set, highlighted by a series of successful plays from Imbuzeiro, who contributed both kills and assists. This sequence included crucial points from Sims and Corbett, pushing the 'Fish ahead. Despite MGA's efforts to close the gap, including key attacks from Caitlyn Wolf, Palm Beach Atlantic maintained control, concluding the set with a 25-18 victory after a service error from the Knights.
In the third set, the 'Fish surged ahead with a decisive performance from Sims, who contributed multiple kills and capitalized on Knights' errors, pushing the score from 2-2 to 10-3. Imbuzeiro played a pivotal role, assisting several key points, including a kill by McIntyre. Despite a brief rally by MGA, which reduced the deficit to 11-10, PBA maintained control, and
Katie Silcott facilitated a strong finish, assisting
Lauren Venenga's final kill to seal the set at 25-15 and end the match.
Game Two - NSU: 3, PBA: 0
However, the following match against Nova Southeastern presented a tougher challenge for the Sailfish, who fell 0-3. Despite the loss, PBA posted a team hitting percentage of .224, with a notable first set performance of .364.
Ava McIntyre led with 12 kills and contributed an ace, while
Sydney Corbett recorded 11 kills on 30 attempts, adding three digs.
Brighten Sedmack tallied eight kills and posted six digs, providing solid defense.
Juliana Imbuzeiro facilitated the offense with 19 assists and delivered one ace.
The match opened with both teams exchanging early points, highlighted by Corbett's kill from Imbuzeiro to tie the score at 1-1. Despite strong offensive play, including key kills by
Kaelynn Sims and McIntyre, the 'Fish faced a challenging stretch as NSU steadily built a lead. A pivotal moment came when Sedmack and McIntyre each contributed to a sequence that closed the gap to 15-15. The Sailfish briefly took the lead at 16-15 following a kill by McIntyre, but NSU responded with critical points, securing a 25-22 victory in the first set.
Palm Beach Atlantic showcased resilience in the second set, highlighted by a strong performance from McIntyre, who delivered multiple key kills, including one that tied the score at 10-10 with a service ace. The team managed to pull ahead briefly at 23-22 following a block error from NSU. However, despite their efforts, the Sailfish were unable to maintain the lead, ultimately falling to the Sharks with a close score of 26-24 to conclude the set.
The Sailfish began the third set with an early lead, but NSU gained momentum with a significant run, pushing the score to 10-4, which they maintained throughout the set. Corbett and McIntyre made notable contributions for the 'Fish, each delivering key kills to keep the team within striking distance. A late push by the Sailfish, including back-to-back points from Sedmack and McIntyre, narrowed the gap slightly, but NSU closed out the set at 25-16, concluding the match with the Sharks securing the victory.
