Box Score LAKELAND, FL - Florida Southern College volleyball fell to No. 12 Palm Beach Atlantic by a 3-1 final on Friday night at Jenkins Field House. The No. 24 Moccasins (14-7) lost at home for just the second time all season, while the Sailfish (20-3) extended their winning streak to an NCAA Division II best 20 matches.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Florida Southern grabbed an quick 4-3 lead in the first set, but Palm Beach Atlantic ripped off six-straight points to force a Moccasin timeout and take a 9-4 lead. The Mocs were able to pull within a single point (14-13) later in the set, but the Sailfish reeled off another 6-0 run to push their lead to 20-13 as they surged to a 25-18 first-set win.
• The Moccasins were able to tie the match up by grabbing a 25-23 win in the second set. Florida Southern grabbed a quick 5-0 lead and never trailed en-route to the second set victory. The Mocs led 20-15 late in the set, but Palm Beach Atlantic was able to get within a single point (24-23) before a Sailfish service error gave Florida Southern the set-clinching point.
• Friday's third set was a wild one, featuring 20 ties and 11 lead changes. PBA would eventually prevail by a 27-25 final, but the set was full of drama throughout. Neither team led by more than two points before the Sailfish grabbed a 23-20 lead and put the Mocs on the ropes. Florida Southern responded with a 4-0 run to take a 24-23 lead, and the teams would battle back and forth until Palm Beach Atlantic came up with two-straight kills to earn the set victory and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
• The fourth and final set finished with PBA taking a 25-17 win. The Sailfish trailed just once in the set, as Florida Southern scored the first point. It would be all Palm Beach Atlantic from there, however, as PBA went on a 10-3 run and never looked back as it picked up the set victory to make the final tally 3-1.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Florida Southern lost at home for just the second time all year. The Mocs are 8-2 at home, and have won 25 of 36 sets played at Jenkins Field House. The Moccasins fell to 8-6 all-time against Palm Beach Atlantic, including a 7-2 mark at home. The Sailfish have won three-straight against Florida Southern dating back to last year.
• Friday's win was the 20th in a row for Palm Beach Atlantic. That winning streak is the best in the nation among NCAA Division II volleyball programs.
• Anna Tovo finished with 15 kills. She has recorded double-digit kills in 34-straight matches dating back to last year. She also added 14 digs in the contest.
• Brindl Langley finished the night with 22 digs to push her career total to 1,674. In the process, Langley moved into third place in school history in career digs. She needs 76 more to move into second place, and 141 more to break Sara Stewart's school record of 1,814.
UP NEXT
• Florida Southern wraps up the weekend at home against Nova Southeastern at 7 p.m. on Saturday. The Mocs will face Tampa, Lynn and Barry on the road next week.
