Sports

The Boca Raton Tribune S P O R T S

Panthers named Division II Gulf Distric t Tournament runner-up

Palm Beach State College’s volleyball team was named the FCSAA/NJCAA Division II Gulf District Tournament runner-up Nov. 5 after being defeated by Gulf Coast State College in the Gulf District Championship game. They end the season 13-7.

During the tournament, which began Friday, Nov. 4, the Panthers f i r s t p l a y e d South Florida State College. That victory advanced them to the Gulf District To u r n a m e n t S e m i F i n a l s vs. Pensacola State College.

The Panthers entered as winners of 10 games in a row, while the Pirates were undefeated in their last 14.

The first set defined the tone for the whole match-up. The Panthers raced out to a quick 4-0 lead. The Pirates scored eight of the next 10 points and took an 8-6 lead over the Panthers. The back and forth continued as the Pirates took a 14-10 lead over the Panthers, leading the Panthers to call a timeout. That was a timeout well needed. The Panthers go on their own 10-4 run and took a 20-18 lead that they kept in winning the first set 25-22.

T h e s e c o n d set was just like the first. Pensacola jumps out to their own 6-3 lead, with the Panthers r e s p o n d i n g w i t h a 6-3 run of their own to tie it at nine each. The teams traded two-point leads with the Panthers going up 12-10, then the Pirates leading 14-12, the Panthers got back on top with a 19-17 lead. The Panthers were unable to hold off the Pirates however, as they go on an 8-3 run and win the second set 25-22 and tie it at one set a piece.

Set number three belonged to the Panthers. A quick 6-1 lead for the Panthers caused the Pirates to take a timeout. Palm Beach State was able to keep the momentum as they led 14-7 when the Pirates called their second timeout of the set. Palm Beach State never looked back and won the third set 21-14.

The fourth set didn’t have either team jumping out to a quick lead like the pre-

vious three sets. A back-and-forth game led the Panthers to take a timeout trailing 11-7. The Panthers come back and make it 13-10, leading the Pirates to call a timeout. The Panthers would cut the lead to one a couple of times but were unable to tie it up and drop the fourth set 2520, bringing up a winner take all fifth set. P B S C p l a y s G u l f C o a s t S t a t e College in the final game of the Gulf District Tournament. Photo by R Lott. The Panthers and Pir a t e s t r a d e points, however, the Panthers trailed 8-6 as they switch sides in the fifth set. That was the changing point for the Panthers. Palm Beach State goes on a 7-3 run to win the fifth set 15-9. With the victory, the Panthers advanced to the Gulf District Championship game against #17 nationally ranked Gulf Coast State College. During the game, the Panthers raced out to a two set to none lead, needing only one more set to clinch victory. However, that set never came. After winning the first set 25-21, the Panthers did Allison Bryant joined even better in the second set, winthe 20/20 club in the ning 25-14. Gulf championship game, Coast came out on fire in the third set, finishing with 22 kills winning that one and 25 digs. 25-14. Gulf Coast kept that momentum g oing in the fourth set and won in a thrilling 25-22 set. The Panthers were unable to take any lead in the decisive fifth set and lost 15-9. Allison Bryant joined the 20/20 club in the championship game, finishing with 22 kills and 25 digs. Bryant, Dena Otte and Nina Vallesi were all selected to the All-Tournament Team. The Panthers started their season at 1-6 and could have gone in any direction. But the team stuck together, rallied off 12 wins a row, captured the Sun-Lakes Conference South Division Championship and finished as the Gulf District Tournament runner-up. Gulf Coast State College now goes on to play in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament Nov. 17-19 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

S ailfish Make Histor y at S unshine State Conference Championship Meet

Earlier this morning, PBA’s women’s cross country team competed in the Sunshine State Conference Championship meet, hosted by Embry-Riddle. The ‘Fish made history, winning the conference championship for the first time in school history.

Dune Costes was the surprise story of this meet. She got off to an early lead and never looked back, becoming the first Sailfish in program history to win the SSC Individual Championship. Her time of 22:22.5 was her personal best 6k time and led the way for PBA to take home the championship. Laura Georgelin was right behind her, finishing in second place with a personal best 6k time of 22:29.7.

Madelyn Rodriguez put in a great effort as well, placing seventh with a personal best 6k time of 22:46.8. Allison Seng placed 14th and Emma Baron placed 26th to give PBA the neces-

Costes was the surprise story of this meet. She got off to an early lead and never looked back.

sary points to take home the first place trophy.

PBA will now prepare for the NCAA South Region meet in the hopes of qualifying for NCAA Nationals.

FAU Launches NIL Marketplace for Student-Athletes

PBA Volleyball Falls to No. 4 Tampa in Last Home Game

Florida Atlantic Athletics has partnered with Opendorse to launch a name, image and likeness (NIL) marketplace for Owl student-athletes.

The FAU Owls Marketplace offers a quick, seamless opportunity for businesses, sponsors and supporters to reach out directly to FAU student-athletes regarding NIL opportunities in accordance with state laws and NCAA regulations.

Brian White NIL Quote”As one of the fi rst schools to partner with Opendorse Ready, we have been on the cutting edge of name, image and likeness for our student-athletes and we fully support them in their pursuit of NIL opportunities,” said Brian White, FAU Vice President and Director of Athletics. “Our mission is and has been ‘to create a brighter future for FAU though student-athlete success.’ In this new world of college athletics, NIL is a critical component of that success.

“We have an incredibly vibrant business community and a passionate fanbase here in Paradise,” White continued. “I encourage anyone who is invested in seeing FAU student-athletes succeed to consider investing in them through NIL opportunities presented through the FAU Owls Marketplace.”

Amongst Conference USA competition, FAU’s home market of Palm Beach and Broward Counties rank No. 1 in Fortune 500 companies (28) and in household income. Paradise is home to nearly 3.5 million residents, more than 130,000 employers, and more business is coming. In the last year, Palm Beach County landed 10 New York-based fi rms worth $34 billion. The power of Paradise, combined with FAU’s 186,000 alumni across the nation, create an incredible NIL opportunity for FAU student-athletes.

Through the marketplace, FAU student-athletes can engage in promotional and related opportunities. Those interested in working with FAU student-athletes can browse, propose, book and pay for NIL activities all in one platform. Studentathletes can also review opportunities, accept deals and receive compensation all in the same place. Once a deal is completed, the activity is automatically disclosed to the FAU Athletics Compliance Offi ce to ensure compliance with state laws and NCAA rules.

“FAU has established itself as a leader in NIL support since our partnership began in 2020,” Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence said. “Today’s announcement of the FAU Owls Marketplace reaffi rms the commitment that FAU Athletics has in supporting student-athletes on and off the fi eld of play. I can’t wait to see how Owl fans, brands, donors and sponsors support student-athletes.”

FAU Athletics was the fi rst school in the State of Florida and the fi rst in Conference USA to utilize Opendorse Ready and were among the fi rst 20 in the nation. Through Opendorse Ready, FAU student-athletes have an Opendorse profi le, which allows staff to share visual media and messages directly to the student-athlete on demand to publish to social media platforms with a single tap. The Owls have been utilizing the Opendorse Ready technology since 2020.

S A V E T H E D A T E !

A ce l e b ra t i o n o f re a l h e ro e s, p r i n ce s s a n d fa i r y t a l e c h a ra c te r s, a n d s u p e r h e ro e s Saturday, January 14 • 10am-2pm

Boynton Beach Amphitheatre in Centennial Park

Event Activities will include: • Princess and Superhero Costume Parade • Music • Meet and Greet with local heros (Police and Firefighters) • Stor ytelling • Arts and crafts • Bounce House • And More!

schoolhousemuseum.org

B ooths and sponsorships available, call S uzanne at (561) 742-6778 or suzanne@schoolhousemuseum.org

T h e P a l m B e a ch A t l a n t i c vo l l e y b a l l t e a m played its home finale on Saturday ag ainst No. 4-ranked Tampa.

T he Sailfish played the Spartans for the second time in five days, having traveled to the Spartans in Tuesday’s loss. PBA (12-16, 6-12 SSC) looked for revenge in front of a Homecoming crowd, but the defending national champs proved too much for the ‘Fish. Tampa (24-3, 14-3 SSC) took the match, 3-0.

Kayla Matthews led the Sailfi sh attack with 11 kills and four digs. Abbie Zylstra added 10 kills and four digs of her own. Jayden Otto racked up 30 assists with fi ve digs and two blocks. Jayna Bredenberg recorded a team-high six digs as libero.

The Sailfi sh started slowly in the fi rst set, allowing the Spartans to lead 16-4. PBA’s squad crawled its way back into the set. A 12-1 run, including kills by Matthews, Angeleyshka Curbelo, and Anna Gregerson, an ace each from Otto and Matthews, and fi ve errors from the Spartans made it 17-15. A 5-1 run later in the set from the ‘Fish tied the set at 23. PBA looked to steal the opener, but Tampa held on to win, 26-24.

The second set started similarly to the fi rst, but the Sailfi sh failed to repeat their comeback. Tampa held PBA to a .094 hitting percentage in the second, leading to a 25-16 win for the Spartans.

PBA started better in the third set, hanging with Tampa until the 16-13 mark. The Spartans pulled away with a 6-0 run, including three attack errors for the ‘Fish to make it 23-13. PBA answered with a 5-1 run with kills from Mary Morgan Formby, Zylstra, and Matthews, but Tampa sealed the match with a 25-19 win.

Tampa outhit PBA, .294 - .160 in the match. PBA totaled 20 unforced errors in the match.