Polk State College Women’s Volleyball lost 3-0 to No. 1 Miami Dade College in its home opener Wednesday at the Health Center in Winter Haven. Miami Dade College won the sets 25-20, 25-11 and 25-12. Polk State entered the match with a 0-14 overall record and a 0-3 Citrus Conference record.
Polk State College Women’s Volleyball Keeps First Set Close
Chillis Oke and Dublin Fitzgerald combined for a block that opened the scoring. After a service error gave Polk State a 2-1 lead, Oke and Camila Freitag combined for another block to extend the advantage.
Addison Holley’s ace tied the first set at 8, giving Polk State its final lead of the match. Polk State trailed 19-17 before consecutive kills by Oke and Fitzgerald tied the score at 19.
Miami Dade College closed the set on a 6-1 run. Maria Fernanda de Lima Varela and Veronika Petrova combined for the block that ended the set and gave Miami Dade College a 1-0 match lead.
Miami Dade College Takes Final Two Sets
Polk State briefly tied the second set at 1-1 on a block by Oke and Freitag. Miami Dade College later used a 7-0 run to extend its lead to 23-10, and Fitzgerald ended the run with a kill.
Miami Dade College won the second set 25-11. Polk State took an early 1-0 lead in the third set before Miami Dade College answered with a 12-3 run.
Polk State responded with four consecutive points while trailing 13-5, with Jasmine Mahoney’s ace capping the run. Miami Dade College answered with four straight points and finished the sweep with a 25-12 third-set victory.
Next Match
Polk State College will remain at the Health Center in Winter Haven for its next match. Polk State Volleyball will host Eastern Florida State College at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26.
FSB Take
Polk State College’s strongest stretch came in the first set, when the Eagles held leads early and tied the score at 19 late in the frame. Miami Dade College’s 6-1 closing run created the separation it needed before the top-ranked team controlled the final two sets.
The focus now shifts to Saturday’s home match against Eastern Florida State College. Polk State will have another opportunity to compete at the Health Center after opening its home schedule against Miami Dade College.
Source: Original report