Box Score WEST PALM BEACH - Florida Southern's hopes of making its first trip to the NCAA Elite Eight since 1991 were dashed with a four-set loss in the championship game of the NCAA Division II South Regional Volleyball Championships here at Palm Beach Atantic University.
The host and top-seeded Sailfish held off the Mocs, 25-13, 25-21, 26-28, 25-20, to put an end to Florida Southern seaon with a 25-9 record. Palm Beach Atlantic, ranked 13th in the country, advances to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight on Dec. 10 in Tampa against New York Institute of Technology.
"It was an incredible match," said FSC head coach Jill Stephens. "The first two sets were really tight. I think we weren't playing like ourselves early after coming off a huge win last night (Friday vs. Tampa)."
In the first set, the Moccasins pulled within two points, 8-6, on a kill by Nicole Mattson, but Palm Beach battled back to rattle off seven straight points to pull ahead 15-6 and eventually won 25-13. Florida Southern hit just .154 in the first set.
In the second set, the Moccasins took an 11-7 lead on a kill by Brindl Langley before the Sailfish put together a 7-3 run to tie the game at 14-14. The two teams fought back and forth and eventually battled to a 20-20 tie. PBA's Ally Rhon sparked the Sailfish with a kill and Emma Ballantyne added another while a bad set on the Mocs equalled a 23-20 PBA lead. A kill Mattson made it 23-21 but Rohn and Ballantyne gave the Sailfish the win with back-to-back kills for the 25-21 decision.
Florida Southern hit a match-high .324 in the second set with just two attack errors.
In the third set, the Moccasins would come back from three points down on four occasions and the set was tied six times, the last at 19-19. The Sailfish would take a 22-19 lead before a Brady Kill made it 22-20. PBA then took a 24-21 lead, needing one more point to end the match. A kill from Langley was followed by an attack error on PBA to make the score 24-23. A Langley service ace tied the score and a Tovo kill gave the Mocs a set point, 25-24.
A service error by the Mocs followed and both teams had attack errors resulting in a 26-26 score. Kendall Marotti recorded a kill while Allie Geary registered a block for the 28-26 Florida Southern win. The Moccasins hit .159 in the third set.
"In that third set, I couldn't be more proud of my team," said Stephens. "We battled and fought to win points."
In the fourth set, neither team could build more than a three-point lead before Palm Beach Atlantic jumped out to a 20-16 lead on a kill by Faith Rohn. Florida Southern would never recover. The Moccasins hit just .120 in the final set.
"I just credit (PBA Head Coach) Bob White and his staff for preparing his players," said Stephens. "They're probably the best defensive team we've seen this year."
PBA would hit .272 on the night and record 109 digs in the match. Overall, FSC hit .180 and made 93 digs.
Tovo would record a double-double with 14 kills and 17 digs while Langley would also rack up a double-double with 10 kills and 17 digs. Brady would also be in double figures in kills with 10. Marotti recorded 16 digs while Mattson and Lauren Shlemon added 10 a piece. Nicci Joyce finished with 15 digs for the Moccasins.
Brady, Langley, and Tovo were named to the NCAA Division II South Regional All-Tournament Team.
Faith Rohn led PBA with 20 kills and 17 digs while Sarah Ragland added 14 killds. Rachael Holehouse and Ally Rohn would contribute 20 and 19 kills, respectively.
The match was the final one of their collegiate career for the four Moccaisn seniors Brady, Marotti, Shlemon, and Bridgette Ward.
"We talk a lot about what kind of legacy you leave behind," said Stephens. "These seniors, they just love the game and love to play. They've left a huge impression on us."
"Three weeks ago, we were at our depths (following a 3-0 loss to Tampa)," Stephens said. "We just flipped a switch and they figured out how to be a great team again."
