The opportunity to take the fifth set was there, but the Saints volleyball team unfortunately could not stop the Palm Beach State College Panthers from claiming the match in a 2-3 (27-29, 25-23, 25-20, 23-25, 11-15) loss on Saturday, August 24. 

The Saints dropped the first set on day two of the Campus USA/Santa Fe tournament, but quickly recovered to capture the next two sets.  It was the fourth set that saw the Panthers regroup to take the fourth and eventually clinch the match.

The second match for the Saints proved to be even tougher as they faced a Daytona State College team that went undefeated all tournament.   The Saints seemed to be in control in set one, going on a 9-3 mid-set run between strong serves by Kariana Ayala and Zoey Chilcote before succumbing to a flurry of points by the Falcons.  Each set seemed to put more distance between the Saints and the Falcons, with set scores of 22-25, 17-25, and 12-25.

Saints head coach Nick Cheronis said, "As I thought at the beginning of this year, our greatest strength of youth and enthusiasm is also our greatest weakness.  It was the kind of weekend we hoped for in terms of brining a young team along." He continued, "I like that we are getting some balance offensively from a lot of different players – that will pay off in the long run."

Over the course of Saturday's matches, Madison Sheffield lead the team with 30 kills.  Alicia Marzullo, Mikayla Collins, Natalia Martinez and Emily Register had 13 kills each.

The Saints (1-2) will hit the road for the first time this season as they head to nearby Lake City to compete against Florida Gateway College, 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 28.

For all SF athletics schedules, stats and more visit www.santafesaints.com.