WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida Southern College volleyball swept Palm Beach Atlantic, 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 26-24), on Thursday at Rubin Arena. Florida Southern hit .284 with 38 kills and limited PBA to a .093 percentage, while holding an 11-2 edge in total blocks.
FSC improves 8-6 overall and 3-3 in Sunshine State play. The Sailfish are 9-7 overall and 2-3 in Sunshine State play.
The Moccasins turned the first set by winning seven of eight rallies after trailing 13-9, moving ahead 16-14 with kills from
Layla Visser,
Whitney Mall,
Elizabeth McDonald and
Mel Garrett, a
Brielle Mullen ace and block points involving
Ella Kuosmanen, Mall and Visser. After PBA scored the first two points, the Mocs drew even at 3-3 on an attack error and went in front 4-3 on Garrett's kill from
Nako Sasaki, but the Sailfish later built the 13-9 lead. When PBA narrowed it to 16-15, McDonald answered with a kill from Mullen, and Garrett and Visser teamed on consecutive blocks that pushed FSC to 19-15. Florida Southern added another block from
Lindsay Piktel and Kuosmanen on the way to 23-17, then withstood a Sailfish push to 23-20 before Piktel and Mall delivered the final two kills, both set by
Tori Borton, for a 25-20 set win.
Florida Southern turned the second set with a 7-of-8 stretch after falling behind 7-4, moving in front 11-8 behind kills from Piktel and Garrett and a series of PBA attack errors. Mall supplied two early kills, while Garrett and Visser combined on a block as FSC worked back from the opening deficit.
Payton Nazzari added a service ace during the middle portion of the set, and the Moccasins continued to answer Sailfish points with kills from Mall, Piktel, Kuosmanen and Borton. After PBA got to 21-19, Florida Southern scored the final four points on a Mall kill, a Visser kill, a block by McDonald and Visser, and a closing attack error to finish the set, 25-19.
The Mocs erased a late 24-23 deficit by taking the final three points, using a PBA service error, a McDonald kill from Sasaki and a Sailfish attack error to win the third set 26-24. Florida Southern fell behind 4-0 before Mall put down a kill and McDonald and Visser teamed on a block as part of the response. PBA later moved ahead 17-12, but Borton answered with a kill and a service ace, and McDonald added an ace as FSC narrowed the gap to 18-16. From a 21-18 deficit, the Moccasins picked up a Sailfish service error and attack error, absorbed a service error of their own, then got kills from Piktel and Borton to tie the set at 22-22 before finishing the frame in extra points.
Piktel recorded 10 kills while hitting .429 and added three digs. Mall matched the team lead with 10 kills and added three block assists. Visser hit 1.000 with three kills on three attacks and finished with eight total blocks. Sasaki collected 17 digs and added five assists.
Sydney Corbett led PBA with nine kills and 10 points while adding seven digs and an ace. Sofia Augusto recorded a team-high 14 digs and added two service aces.
Up next, the Mocs host No. 9 Barry on Friday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m. at George W. Jenkins Field House in Lakeland, Florida.
