Box Score LAKELAND, Fla. – Courtney Charneco earned nine blocks and Ali Travis exploded offensively with 22 kills as Florida Southern College volleyball fell 3-1 to Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday afternoon at Streamline Sale Arena at Jenkins Fieldhouse. The Moccasins (5-16, 1-10 SSC) and the Sailfish (13-9, 5-6 SSC) combined for 34 tie scores and 25 lead changes throughout four sets as the Moccasins never lost a set by more than four points and rallied in the third set to earn a 28-26 set victory. The Mocs end their four-match homestand on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Saint Leo in a Throwback Night matchup.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After a tense opening for both sides, the Moccasins emerged with a slight edge over the Sailfish with an 8-6 lead. The FSC lead would hover at the 2-3 point margin until the 21-18 mark when PBA scored seven unanswered to take a 24-21 lead and held on for a 25-22 first-set win.
- The script flipped in set two as Palm Beach Atlantic gained a slight edge early, earning a four-point margin at 12-8 and maintaining the buffer throughout the set. A Moccasin timeout after a 18-12 PBA lead saw the Mocs earn eight of the next 13 points, but the Sailfish lead proved to be too much as they took set two, 25-21.
- Set three saw an incredibly close contest as the set saw 18 tie scores and 10 lead changes. Palm Beach Atlantic shot out to a 4-1 lead but the Moccasins responded quickly to tie the set at four. PBA then took a slight lead that continued until 12-10, when FSC scored four straight to take a 14-12 lead. A tight back-and-forth affair ensued, as numerous lead changes and tie scores emerged from the battle on the court. PBA had match point at both points 25 and 26, but the Moccasins won three-straight points to win set three, 28-26.
- Set four was a game of runs, as PBA set the tone early with a 4-1 run only for FSC to respond with a 7-1 run to take an 8-5 lead and force a Sailfish timeout. PBA replied with a 9-0 run to give the visitors a 14-8 lead. Florida Southern then mounted an 8-1 run to take a 16-15 lead before PBA took the lead at 17-16 and held on for the remainder of the set to take a 25-21 fourth-set win and a 3-1 match victory.
- Travis tallied 22 kills and hit .340 while Erica Ronda had 18 kills of her own. Beatrice Formilan recorded 23 digs, followed by Travis (13) and Hailey Williams (10). Annie Collins tallied 44 assists while the team recorded 12 blocks, led by Charneco (9), Buse Ene (4) and Rachael Martin (3).
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Palm Beach Atlantic now leads the all-time series, 11-10. The Moccasins still have a 9-3 record at home against the Sailfish.
- Travis had by far her best outing as a Moccasin as the freshman, who entered the match with only five career kills, more than quadrupled that with 22 kills, tied for the most this season since Erica Ronda did the same against Indiana (Pa.) on Sept. 7. Travis' 24.5 points are the most for a Moccasin this season, topping Ronda's 23.0 outing against IUP and are the most since the South Region Quarterfinal match on Nov. 11, 2018, when Nicole Mattson earned 26.0 against No. 21 West Florida. Finally, her 13 digs are the most since her 15 against Florida Tech on Sept. 28 and her .340 hitting percentage is the highest of her career.
- Charneco, who entered the day with four blocks in her career, earned a career-high nine blocks against the Sailfish, the most for a Moccasin this season and the most since Oct. 19, 2018 when Tierra Porter had nine against No. 12 West Florida in a 3-0 sweep for Florida Southern. Charneco now has a career average of 0.93 blocks per set.
- Formilan continues to dominate defensively, as the sophomore has now recorded 115 digs in the past six matches, good for a 5.48 digs per set average. Formilan is averaging 4.78 digs per set this season, a mark that would put her tied fourth all-time for a Moccasin single season and currently has her fourth in the conference.
UP NEXT
- Southern will finish its four-game homestand on Tuesday night as they host Saint Leo at 7 p.m. at Streamline Sale Arena at Jenkins Field House on Throwback Night.
