WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Barry University's volleyball team went toe-to-toe with No. 23 Palm Beach Atlantic Tuesday night before giving way in a marathon third set to drop the match at Rubin Arena, 25-22, 25-22, 34-32.
A closely-contested match through two sets got even more wild in the third set as both teams went back-and-forth at each other in a set that didn't appear to have a closure.
Palm Beach Atlantic's Elly Raush's kill moved the Sailfish to within a point of closing it out, 25-24, but the Sailfish's ensuing service error knotted it up again in a set that witnessed 25 tie scores after both sides swapped sideout after sideout.
Ashley Carrero's kill pulled Barry even at 27-27 and Jayla Trombley's putaway moved the Bucs within a point of sending it to a fourth set, but Rachel Holehouse banged down a kill to knot it at 28-28. Trombley answered with another kill before PBA's Christina Alessi tied it at 29-29.
A pair of errors by both teams squared the set at 30 before Tashalyn Begon slammed down a kill to put the Buccaneers (8-14) within a point of capping the set. But a Bucs service error re-tied things at 31-31. Katie Ballantyne's kill gave the Sailfish (26-3) a 32-31 lead, but the ensuing serve went awry for PBA. However, the Sailfish picked up match-clinching kills from Ballantyne and Becca Acevedo to wrap it up.
The Bucs, who return to Sunshine State Conference play Friday at Lynn for a 7 p.m. first serve, hit .115. Palm Beach Atlantic had a .161 attack percentage.
Carrero had 10 kills, four block assists, seven digs and an ace. Trombley finished with nine kills, 13 digs and three blocks. Jenny Trinidad had 27 assists and 10 digs, and Katie Dooley had six blocks and five kills for the Buccaneers. Jasmine Serna had 14 digs.
Alessi had 16 kills, and Raush 13 for PBA, which was outblocked 11-5 by Barry. Acevedo finished with 45 assists, and Holehouse 23 digs.
Palm Beach Atlantic committed 29 attack errors to Bary's 20. The Sailfish had 77 digs, while Barry finished 20 shy of that figure.