ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Florida Southern (13-6) faced Palm Beach Atlantic (12-10) and Tusculum in a challenging series of matches during the "Battle on the Bay" tournament.
FLORIDA SOUTHERN 0, PALM BEACH ATLANTIC 5
In their first match against Palm Beach Atlantic, Florida Southern was defeated with a final score of 0-5. Despite the loss, the Moccasins showed resilience across all five matchups.
At the top flight,
Sydney Melcher and
Ryla Bryant engaged in a three-set battle against Katie Galligan and Angela Goggin. After taking the second set 21-19, the duo fell short in the third set, losing 15-9. The No. 2 pairing saw
Ella Pringle and
Lauren Passaglia face Maddie Kremer and Savanna Rogers, with the Sailfish clinching the win in straight sets, 21-16, 21-10. In the 3s,
Hailey Carefoot and
Sarah Idler fought hard, winning the first set 21-19, but ultimately lost to Sydney Corbett and Katelyn Nadeau, who took the next two sets 21-18 and 15-10. On Court 4,
Isabella Muti and
Mary Olivia Muti battled against Maggie Cox and Zoye Caroline, pushing to a deciding third set following a strong performance in the second, but ultimately lost 15-11. The 5s featured an intense matchup between
Lily Schlageter and
Victoria Rushing against Peyton Baro and Cameron Ring, with the Mocs narrowly losing the dramatic first set 26-28 before falling 21-14, 15-13.
FLORIDA SOUTHERN 3, TUSCULUM 2
After this match, Florida Southern faced Tusculum College in a closely contested match, narrowly losing 2-3. The Moccasins managed to secure victories in the third, fourth, and fifth pairings.
In the top flight, Melcher and Bryant again faced tough competition, this time against Tusculum's Hannah Marsh and Sofia Vega Barrantes. After taking the first set 21-18, they lost the next two sets 18-21 and 13-15. The No. 2 pairing featured Carefoot and Idler going up against Brynn Smith and Sylvia Liszewski, with the Pioneers winning in straight sets 21-10, 21-18. Florida Southern's Pringle and Passaglia put a point on the board in the 3s, winning against Siri Aasgard and Dasha Nikolaeva in straight sets, 21-10, 21-14. The 4s saw Schlageter and VRushing rally after losing the first set 16-21, winning the next two 21-10 and 15-9 against Cooper George and Ally Doty. Finally,
Isabella Muti and
Mary Olivia Muti secured a hard-fought victory in the 5s against Jordyn Anderson and Ryann Gallagher, taking the first set 21-17, losing the second 14-21, and clinching the deciding set 15-11.
Looking ahead, the Mocs will compete against Jacksonville University and Wingate on Saturday, March 28, at 8 a.m. at Payne Sand Volleyball Courts at Dolphin Beach in Jacksonville, Florida, as the visiting team.
