BOCA RATON, Fla. - The No. 1-ranked Lynn University volleyball team extended its perfect start to the 2025 season with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Palm Beach Atlantic, clinching their first Sunshine State Conference win of the year. The Fighting Knights, now 11-0 overall, showcased their resilience and depth in a dramatic five-set match, prevailing 25-12, 18-25, 27-29, 25-22, 16-14. Nadia Rossi led the charge with a season-high 24 kills, while Ula Gorjup orchestrated the offense with 63 assists and five service aces, setting a new benchmark for a five-set match in SSC play this season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set 1 : Lynn, 25-12
- Ula Gorjup sparked Lynn early with a service ace on the opening point and followed with an assist on Brooke Jackson's kill for a 2-0 lead
- Valentina Mogg took control at the net with back-to-back kills and a block, helping Lynn stretch the advantage to 10-4
- The Fighting Knights continued their run with kills from Nadia Rossi and Lillia Neill, forcing a Palm Beach Atlantic timeout as Lynn pulled ahead 16-8
- Coming out of the break, Lynn's front line stayed dominant with Neill posting a block and Gorjup adding a service ace to extend the margin to 19-8
- Rossi and Aline Olegario added late kills before Neill and Olegario combined for a block to close the set at 25-12
Set 2: PBA, 25-18
- Lynn opened the set with a kill from Neill and an early strike from Rossi to keep things even at 2-2
- Palm Beach Atlantic capitalized on Lynn miscues and a block to take control, stretching the margin to 11-7 before a timeout
- Rossi tried to halt the run with a kill out of the break, but the Sailfish answered with three straight points, pushing the lead to 16-8
- Jackson and Rossi provided kills to give the Fighting Knights some life, but PBA extended its advantage to 21-13 behind strong net play and a service ace
- Lynn mounted a brief rally late in the set as Rossi delivered back-to-back kills and Ula Gorjup fired consecutive service aces to trim the deficit to 22-17
- The Sailfish, however, closed it out with a late service ace of their own to seal the frame, 25-18, evening the match at one set apiece
Set 3: PBA, 29-27
- The Blue and White jumped out quickly behind kills from Jackson and Neill, using a block and a pair of Sailfish errors to build an early 7-3 cushion
- Rossi and Neill continued to pace the attack, while Olegario added back-to-back points at the net to push the lead to 15-11 at the media timeout
- Palm Beach Atlantic responded with a run of its own, capitalizing on three Lynn attack errors to trim the deficit to 18-16 and force a Fighting Knights timeout
- The Sailfish rallied late, pulling even at 23-23 after consecutive Lynn miscues
- With the set tied at 25-25, Mogg delivered a kill and Olegario followed with a strike to push Lynn ahead 26-25
- With the set tied at 25-25, Mogg delivered a kill and Olegario followed with a strike to push Lynn ahead 26-25
- Rossi's finish tied the frame again at 27-27, but PBA closed strong with back-to-back kills to steal the set, 29-27
Set 4: Lynn, 25-22
- Lynn came out strong to open the fourth frame with an opening kill from Neill and a service ace by Ula Gorjup to set the tone early
- The Fighting Knights stretched their lead to 7-4 following kills from Jackson and Mogg, forcing Palm Beach Atlantic to chase
- Olegario and Rossi continued to spark the offense at the net, while a block from Neill and Jackson gave Lynn a 15-11 advantage heading into a PBA timeout
- Lynn kept the momentum after the break, with kills from Olegario and Gorjup pushing the margin to 18-12, Rossi then delivered back-to-back points to extend the lead to 20-13
- PBA mounted a late rally, capitalizing on Lynn miscues and kills to trim the deficit to 21-20
- The Blue and White held firm under pressure, answering with a Rossi kill and a Mogg strike to reach set point at 24-22.
- A PBA service error and a final Sailfish attack error closed out the frame, giving Lynn the 25-22 win and evening the match at two sets apiece
Set 5: Lynn, 16-14
- The two sides traded points early, with the duo Rossi and Neill providing Lynn's first kills
- The Sailfish gained a narrow edge at 5-3, but Lynn responded with swings from Mogg and Rossi to tie the frame at 7-7
- Neill and Rossi continued to fuel the Blue and White, combining for three straight points to push Lynn ahead 9-7, forcing a PBA timeout
- The Sailfish clawed back to tie it at 10-10 following a Lynn service error and a Sailfish block, but the Fighting Knights steadied after a Rossi finish and an Olegario kill
- The Fighting Knights closed strong, as Olegario delivered the go-ahead point at 15-14 before a Palm Beach Atlantic attack error sealed the 16-14 victory.
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Lynn combined for a staggering 76 kills, marking the most for an SSC team so far in 2025
- The Blue and White hit for a combined .276 (76 kills, 23 errors, 192 TA), the best in a five-set contest in the SSC this season
- Rossi powered the offense with a season-best  24 kills on a .392 hitting percentage while also contributing 8 digs.
- Gorjup directed the attack with 63 assists, adding five service aces and 15 digs.
- Gorjup's 63 assists set a season-high for a five-set match in Sunshine State Conference play in 2025
- Libero Clara Maidantchik anchored the back row with a match-high 18 digs.
- Olegario tallied 10 kills, including the decisive go-ahead point at 15–14 in the fifth set
- Mogg chipped in 15 kills and 13 digs for her second double-double of the season
 
 
UP NEXT:
The Fighting Knights continue their weekend homestand when they host No. 9-ranked Barry in a main event matchup on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 4 p.m.