Tritons' Season Ends With Five-Set Loss to No. 19 Palm Beach Atlantic

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - If forced to take one negative thing from the Eckerd volleyball team's final match of the season, about the only thing that could even be considered as such is that the Tritons lost.

And even then, it's hard to classify that as a negative. Eckerd took No. 19 Palm Beach Atlantic to the wire, reaching match point in the fifth set before seeing the Sailfish rally to complete a 3-2 win in the McArthur Center on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT ENDED
Final: No. 19 Palm Beach Atlantic 3, Eckerd 2 (25-18, 23-25, 25-27, 25-20, 15-17)
Records: Eckerd 15-15 (7-13 SSC); Palm Beach Atlantic 25-6 (16-4 SSC)

KEY MOMENTS

• A Paula Hoffmann kill gave the Tritons a 6-5 lead in the first set, and it turned out to be a lead that EC kept the rest of the way.  The kill was the first of two 3-point runs that gave Eckerd a 12-7 lead.  Two more 3-point runs later in the set grew the lead to 23-15.  PBA made a late push but a Hoffmann kill closed a 25-18 win.
• Eckerd built another sizable lead in the second set, leading 18-13, only to see PBA run off four straight points to pull within one.  EC again extended its lead to 22-18 behind a Sarah Johnshoy kill and two Sailfish attack errors.  However, the fifth Eckerd service error of the set followed and triggered a five-point run that put PBA ahead for the first time since early in the set.  A Hoffmann kill tied it at 23-23, but a pair of kills by Sophie Hoekstra complete the Palm Beach Atlantic comeback and tied the match at 1-1.
• The Tritons took an early four-point lead in the third set but soon found themselves trailing 13-10 while struggling to solve the blocking of PBA.  After getting within a point on three occassions, EC finally tied the set at 20-20 on the heels of three consecutive points.  The Sailfish reached set point at 24-23, but Eckerd turned the tables with an Abbie O'Ferrell kill and ace.  However, PBA took the next three points for a 2-1 match lead.
• A five-point run midway through the fourth set gave Eckerd momentum it would not relinquish.  The Tritons' lead grew to seven points (17-10) and, after PBA pulled within three, EC responded with points on five of the next six rallies.  The Sailfish made another late run but it came up short as Eckerd capped the set with a pair of Rachel Wisian kills to send it into a fifth set.
• Palm Beach Atlantic took an early lead in the fifth set, but Eckerd battled back and tied it at 7-7 via a Hoffmann ace.  The Tritons tied the set five more times, once to survive match point, and got to match point themselves on an O'Ferrell kill.  However, the Sailfish forced two attack errors and ended a long match-point rally with a kill to hold on for a 3-2 win.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• Despite the loss, Eckerd outscored Palm Beach Atlantic in total points, 88-79.
• O'Ferrell ended her career with a memorable performance of 23 kills, 23 digs, and two aces.  Fellow senior Arielle Erillo had 31 digs and ended the season with 530 digs, fifth-most in program history.
• O'Ferrell, Erillo, and Rachel Cornatzer were honored before the match on Senior Day.
• Hoffmann posted a season-high 20 kills and added 17 digs for a double-double while Lauren Kadilis had 54 assists and 16 digs.