WINTER PARK, Fla. (March 20, 2021) - Following a short eleven-day hiatus, Tars volleyball was back in action on Saturday afternoon. Rollins hosted Palm Beach Atlantic for a doubleheader at Warden Arena. Unfortunately, the home court advantage did not equate to a win as the Sailfish took both games, 3-1 and 3-0.
Game One:
The Tars showed some rust in the first set, recording more attack errors (11) than kills (8). After keeping it close early on, the Sailfish ripped off two separate runs of four points in a row to pull away; they would eventually win 25-14.
Emily Diaz led all attackers with four kills in the set. The difference between sets one and two was night and day for the Tars. Rollins played extremely well at the net, converting 12 kills against only three attack errors while also posting a sideout percentage of 56%. Diaz once again led both teams in kills with five, while
Rebecca Kuehn posted ten assists. The Tars were able to hold off a late rally from the Sailfish, winning set two 25-23.
Palm Beach Atlantic retook the lead after set three. They recorded 11 kills as a very efficient .348 rate compared to Rollins 10 at .080. The set was close, with Palm Beach Atlantic holding a slight 16-14 advantage halfway through. Unfortunately, four straight attack errors form the Tars gave the Sailfish enough momentum to extend their lead and hold on for a 25-19 win. Palm Beach Atlantic then won the first game of the day with an impressive 25-11 win in set four.
Diaz led the Tars with 11 kills while also chipping in with seven digs and a block assist. Kuehn earned 31 assists in the match.
Game Two:
After a short break, the two were back at it for the nightcap. With the score 9-7 in set one, Palm Beach Atlantic was able to score six straight points against the Tars, putting the set out of reach. Amber Rowoldt played well at the net, scoring five kills and a block assist to help the Sailfish to a 25-13 win. Rollins couldn't figure out the defense in set two, managing five kills while Palm Beach Atlantic also had nine block assists. Still, the Tars were able to hang tough thanks to six service errors from the Sailfish. With
Candace Doxey serving, the Tars were able to score four straight to pull within 16-1, but they could never recapture the lead. Palm Beach Atlantic would eventually take the set 25-19. The third set saw the Tars tally 13 kills, their highest total in the seven sets they played today.
Milla Sherman was a spark off the bench, scoring four points with no errors. Unfortunately, it was not enough as Palm Beach Atlantic held on late for a 25-20 win.
Amber Rowoldt led all players with 11 kills in game two. Diaz was once again the top scorer for Rollins, posting eight kills.
"Today was another great learning opportunity for our young team. We saw a big improvement in the aggressiveness of our serving as well as our first ball contacts and blocking,: said head coach
Mika Robinson. "Unfortunately, we still made too many unforced errors to be able to pull out the wins, and we just were not able to do things consistently. That will only improve with more game time and practice time with that experience under our belts. PBA did a great job blocking, which consistently challenged our offensive production."
Next up for the Tars is their first road game of the season. Rollins will travel to Lakeland on Friday, March 27 to face the Moccasins of Florida Southern. First serve is set for 6 pm.
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