Box Score WEST PALM BEACH, FL - Florida Southern College volleyball rallied from an early 2-1 deficit to force a decisive fifth set, but came up just short as it fell by a 3-2 final at No. 16 Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday. The No. 21 Moccasins (8-3) had the Sailfish (9-3) on the ropes in the third set as they led 14-13, but PBA scored four of the next five points to pick up the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• None of the first four sets were particularly close as Florida Southern built a comfortable 10-4 lead in the first set and cruised to a 25-21 first set victory. The Sailfish were able to close the gap to 23-20 late in the set, but the Mocs scored two of the next three points to close things out.
• The second set was neck-and-neck early, but PBA used a 6-1 run to turn a 6-6 tie into a 12-7 lead. FSC rallied with five-straight points to tie the contest at 12-12, but the Sailfish scored nine of the next 10 points to push their lead to 21-13 en route to a 25-17 second set win.
• Palm Beach Atlantic never trailed in the third set as it jumped on top of Florida Southern early by scoring the first three points of the set. PBA would build an insurmountable lead as it picked up an easy 25-16 win in the third set.
• The Moccasins jumped out to a quick 8-4 lead in the fourth set as they looked to stave off defeat. PBA was able to mount a 6-1 run to take a 10-9 lead and force a Florida Southern timeout. After the break, the Mocs regrouped to score nine of the next 12 points to take an 18-13 advantage and force PBA to use a timeout of its own. The timeout would do little to stop FSC's momentum as it closed out the fourth set by a 25-18 final.
• The fifth and final set looked like it might be a blowout as the Mocs jumped out to a 7-3 lead, but the Sailfish were able to weather the storm and eventually tie the set at 12-12. Trailing 14-13, PBA scored twice to take a 15-14 lead and after Florida Southern tied things up, the Sailfish scored twice more to finish off the match with a 17-15 fifth set win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Brindl Langley finished with 28 digs in the contest to push her career total to 1,495 and pass head coach Jill Stephens for fifth in program history. Langley needs 138 more digs to pass Daryl Bâby (1,632) for fourth all-time. Sara Stewart (1,814) holds the Florida Southern record for career digs.
• Anna Tovo tallied 18 kills in the match. She has now posted double-digit kills in 24-straight matches dating back to Oct. 24, 2015. She has posted 15 or more kills in eight of the team's 11 matches this year.
• Rachel Mostert set a new career high with 17 kills on the day. Her previous best was 15 kills against Eckerd on Sept. 17.
• Allie Geary finished with five total blocks (two solo, three assists) against PBA. She has posted at least five total blocks four times this year.
• Bethany Besancenez recorded 50 assists against the Sailfish. It was her third-straight performance with 50 or more assists. She has tallied 50 or more assists seven times in her career.
• Florida Southern fell to 8-5 all-time against PBA, including a 1-2 mark when facing the Sailfish on the road. The Mocs also fell to 102-198 against nationally-ranked opponents, including 17-71 when facing top 25 teams on the road.
UP NEXT
• Florida Southern plays host to No. 19 Tampa at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 27 to begin a three-match homestand. The Mocs will also host Barry on Sept. 30 (7 p.m.) and Lynn on Oct. 1 (4 p.m.).
