WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Tars dropped a tightly contested five-set battle in their SSC opener on Friday, falling to Palm Beach Atlantic (18-25, 28-26, 25-21, 18-25, 9-15).

Three Tars reached double figures offensively, led by Cameron Grange with 15 kills. Rylee Yarborough added 12, while Kayla Goodloe chipped in 10 of her own. Molly Morris and Jenna Garza split time directing the offense, tallying 18 and 16 assists, respectively. Morris also made an impact from the service line, joining Grange and Tawnee Shaw with an ace apiece.
Defensively, Sarah Seabrooke anchored the back row with 20 digs, while Garza added 19 and Grange collected 17. At the net, Vivian Scuteri and Goodloe led a strong blocking effort with nine and eight total blocks, respectively.

PBA came out of the gate firing, claiming the first four points before Grange put the Tars on the board with their first kill of the night. Another four-point Sailfish run forced an early Rollins timeout, with Remington Doggett finding the floor out of the break to slow the surge.

PBA added another pair of points to stretch the advantage to eight before Rollins began to find a rhythm. Yarborough delivered a kill before teaming up with Scuteri for a block. Scuteri then joined Goodloe for another rejection at the net, and Morris capped the run with an ace.

Another Yarborough kill trimmed the deficit to four, but the Sailfish responded with consecutive points to restore some breathing room. PBA eventually stretched its lead to nine before Rollins made another push. Grange delivered a kill and followed with an ace before Yarborough added another finish to bring the Tars back within range.

The Sailfish answered, but Rollins continued to battle behind a Scuteri kill and block before Scuteri teamed up with Yarborough for another rejection to force a PBA timeout. The Sailfish regrouped out of the break and found the points they needed to close out the opening set, 25-18.

Set two opened with the sides trading blows as Goodloe delivered the first Rollins kill. A pair of miscues on either side kept things even before Goodloe struck again to knot the score at three.

The Sailfish found three consecutive points, but Grange responded in a big way, putting away three kills to pull the Tars within one at 7-6. PBA continued to find points while also committing enough errors to keep Rollins within striking distance before another Sailfish run eventually stretched the lead to six.

Goodloe halted the run with a kill before Doggett helped spark the Rollins response. Scuteri added another finish, and the Tars continued to chip away until PBA called timeout. The break did little to slow Rollins. Grange found the floor, Yarborough delivered an ace and another Grange kill forced the Sailfish to use their second timeout.

A PBA error finally pulled the Tars even at 17 before Grange delivered the go-ahead kill, giving Rollins its first lead of the night. The Sailfish responded to tie things at 18, and the sides remained deadlocked at 19 before Shaw stepped to the service line and delivered an ace to put Rollins back in front.

PBA answered once again, building a two-point advantage and forcing a Rollins timeout. A Sailfish service error opened the door, and Goodloe and Repass slammed it open with consecutive blocks to put the Tars ahead, 23-22.

The Sailfish swung the advantage back and earned set point, but Grange answered with a kill to tie things at 24. PBA earned another opportunity to close the frame, only for Rollins to respond again. A Yarborough kill followed by a Sailfish miscue gave the Tars their own set point.

PBA fought it off, but Goodloe hammered home a kill to give Rollins another chance. This time, Scuteri and Doggett made it count, combining for a block to finish off the marathon set, 28-26, and even the match at one.

Repass opened the third with a kill before the Sailfish quickly responded. Rollins soon found its rhythm, however, with kills from Goodloe, Yarborough and Garza helping the Tars take control.

Goodloe stretched the advantage to 6-2 before Scuteri added a kill on the next point. PBA mounted a short run to close the gap, but Yarborough halted the push with a finish. A pair of Sailfish errors restored the four-point Rollins advantage before Grange maintained the cushion with a kill moments later.

The Tars kept PBA at arm's length from there, with Goodloe and Grange adding kills to eventually force a Sailfish timeout. Yarborough halted another comeback attempt with a finish before Addilyn Kegerreis, Yarborough and Scuteri combined to put up a wall at the net and restore the four-point advantage.

Several more PBA miscues forced another timeout as Rollins continued to press. Grange followed with a kill before Goodloe and Repass teamed up for consecutive blocks to stretch the advantage to 22-15.

The Sailfish regrouped and claimed two points before Goodloe answered with a kill. A pair of PBA errors provided the final difference as Rollins closed out the third, 25-21, to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Both teams traded hitting and service errors to open the fourth, leaving things even at two. PBA was the first to find separation with three straight points, but Rollins responded with a four-point run of its own behind Sailfish miscues and a Scuteri kill.

The momentum quickly swung back toward PBA as the Sailfish reclaimed the lead, 10-6. Yarborough halted the run with a kill before Scuteri answered another PBA point with a finish of her own. The sides traded errors from there as the Sailfish maintained a 14-10 advantage.

Grange found the floor to trim the deficit before consecutive PBA points pushed the margin back out. Yarborough and Goodloe responded with back-to-back kills, and another pair of Sailfish errors pulled Rollins within one, forcing a PBA timeout.

The Sailfish came out of the break with three consecutive points to regain control. Kegerreis delivered a kill down the stretch to keep Rollins alive, but PBA held off the Tars to take the fourth, 25-18, and force a deciding fifth.

The Sailfish grabbed the early advantage in the finale, collecting three kills while a pair of service errors kept Rollins within one at 3-2. Yarborough then found the floor to pull the Tars even at three.

PBA responded with four straight points to force a Rollins timeout and continued to apply pressure out of the break. A pair of Sailfish errors finally gave the Tars some relief, trimming the deficit to 9-5.

Yarborough followed with a back-row kill to pull Rollins within three before Grange added another finish, forcing a timeout from the Sailfish. PBA regained control out of the break and eventually worked its way to match point.

Grange fought off the first opportunity with a kill before Scuteri and Repass combined for a block to keep the Tars alive for another rally. The Sailfish found the final point, however, closing out the fifth, 15-9, and taking the match.

Palm Beach Atlantic improves to 9-4 overall and 2-0 in SSC play, while Rollins moves to 7-5 and 0-1 in conference action.

The Tars return to Warden Arena on Saturday, September 19, for their SSC home opener against Embry-Riddle. First serve is set for 4 p.m.