DENVER, Colo. — The Palm Beach Atlantic volleyball team had a mixed day at the Colorado Premier Challenge, first defeating Bentley 3-2 and then falling to Anderson 3-0.
"Sydney [Corbett] had a great tournament," PBA head coach
Jeff Huebner said. " I am super proud of the way that she competed. We learned a lot about ourselves this weekend and can't wait to get back home for the Bash!"
Up next, PBA hosts UIndy on Friday, Sept. 11, at 6 p.m. for their home opener at Rubin Arena.
Match One - PBA: 3, Bentley: 0
In the match against Bentley, the Sailfish secured a thrilling victory with set scores of 24-26, 27-25, 21-25, 25-19, and 15-13. The team showed resilience, especially in the second set where they trailed 24-22 before rallying to win 27-25, evening the match.
Sydney Corbett led the Sailfish with a season-high 22 kills and 25.5 points, also contributing five total blocks and nine digs.
Sofia Augusto achieved a season-high of 24 digs along with six assists.
Ava McIntyre added 11 kills and a season-high 15 digs, while
Katie Silcott tallied a team-high and season-high 25 assists along with seven digs.
Simi Kapustova recorded a season-high total of five blocks.
The game flow featured the Sailfish overcoming an early 3-0 deficit in the first set to take a brief lead at 19-17 with a kill from Kapustova. However, the Falcons closed the set with two points to win 26-24. PBA bounced back in the second set, answering a late Falcons lead with a Corbett kill and a
Juliana Imbuzeiro ace to equalize. After a series of exchanges, the Sailfish clinched the set 27-25. Despite a slow start in the third set, the Sailfish fought hard but ultimately lost 25-21. In the fourth set, PBA surged ahead 23-18 after a series of kills and blocks, finishing with a 25-19 win. The decisive fifth set saw the Sailfish create a 7-1 run, eventually sealing the match with a 15-13 victory, marking a total of 59 kills, nine service aces, and 66 digs.
Match Two - Anderson: 3, PBA: 0
In their subsequent match against Anderson, the Sailfish faced a tough opponent, losing 3-0 with set scores of 18-25, 24-26, and 22-25. PBA recorded 38 kills and a .162 hitting percentage, while AU hit .308 with 50 kills. The Sailfish came close in the final two sets, pushing the second set to 26-24 and the third to 25-22. Corbett led the way again with 14 kills, hitting .371 and adding six digs, marking her third consecutive match with 14 or more kills. She was also named to the all-tournament team following the match. McIntyre contributed 12 kills, seven digs, and one block assist, while Silcott had a team-high 20 assists and eight digs, maintaining her streak of 20 or more set assists in three straight games. Augusto recorded 12 digs and seven assists.
Despite some strong performances, the Sailfish struggled with consistency against Anderson. They fought back from an early 5-1 deficit to lead 14-13 in the first set but ultimately lost 25-18. The second set saw a strong start with a 4-0 run, but AU managed to take the set after a tense finish. In the third set, PBA tied the game at 19 before AU closed it out at 25-22.
