Lynn University

BOCA RATON, Fla. - No. 11 Lynn volleyball refused to let an early setback derail its momentum Thursday night, storming back from a first-set defeat to take down Palm Beach Atlantic in four sets, 23-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-19, inside the de Hoernle Sports and Cultural Center.
 
After dropping a tightly contested opening frame, the Fighting Knights flipped the script with a relentless offensive attack and tremendous pressure from the service line. Lynn erupted for 58 kills and 12 service aces, hitting a combined .334 over the final two sets to complete the comeback.
 
Alexia Radulovic led the charge with a match-high 15 kills, while Ula Gorjup orchestrated the offense with 48 assists and five aces. The Fighting Knights also received a career-high 11 kills on .429 hitting from Audrey Shaw as Lynn overpowered the Sailfish down the stretch.
 
The victory extends Lynn's winning streak to six consecutive matches and improves the Fighting Knights to 15-2 overall and 7-1 in Sunshine State Conference play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set One: Palm Beach Atlantic 25, Lynn 23
- The Sailfish struck first with an ace, but Lynn quickly responded as Shaw and Radulovic delivered early kills to keep the opening frame tight
- With the score tied at 7-7, Gorjup sparked the Fighting Knights with a kill and back-to-back service aces, giving Lynn a 10-7 advantage
- Palm Beach Atlantic battled back to even the score at 11-11 before the teams continued trading blows through the middle stages
- Consecutive kills from Lillia Neill and Zara Rendic helped Lynn build an 18-16 advantage, but the Sailfish answered with four straight points to move ahead 20-18
- Lira Pukl Verdel responded with consecutive kills to even the score at 20-20 before Palm Beach Atlantic regained a 22-20 edge
- A Pukl Verdel ace brought Lynn level again at 22-22, but the Sailfish answered with two straight points to reach set poin
- Radulovic kept the Fighting Knights alive with a kill before Palm Beach Atlantic closed out the frame, 25-23
 
Set Two: Lynn 25, Palm Beach Atlantic 20
- Lynn wasted little time responding in the second, as Gorjup opened the frame with an ace before Pukl Verdel and Rendic helped push the Fighting Knights ahead 7-4
- The Sailfish refused to go away, eventually tying the set at 10-10 and again at 13-13
- Lynn found its breakthrough behind the blocking combination of Neill and Rendic, who teamed up for consecutive rejections surrounding a Voorhees ace to give the Fighting Knights a 15-13 advantage
- Palm Beach Atlantic continued to apply pressure and evened the score at 17-17, but Pukl Verdel answered with a kill to put Lynn back in front
- With Lynn leading 19-18, Pukl Verdel delivered another ace to extend the advantage to two
- Shaw and Neill followed with crucial kills before the Fighting Knights rattled off the final four points of the frame
- Rendic slammed home the set-clinching kill to secure a 25-20 victory and even the match at one set apiece
 
Set Three: Lynn 25, Palm Beach Atlantic 18
- The third set opened as a back-and-forth battle, with neither team able to establish separation through the first 22 points
- With the score deadlocked at 11-11, Clara Maidantchik stepped behind the service line and completely changed the momentum
- The senior libero sparked a five-point run, firing two service aces while Radulovic and Rendic delivered kills to send Lynn surging ahead 16-11
- Palm Beach Atlantic attempted to fight back, but Lynn continued to answer as Rendic and Pukl Verdel helped extend the advantage to 21-15
- Shaw and Radulovic delivered consecutive kills late in the frame before Pukl Verdel pushed Lynn to set point at 24-17
- Radulovic put the finishing touch on the set with another kill, giving the Fighting Knights a 25-18 victory and their first lead of the match
- Lynn turned in its best offensive frame to that point, hammering 17 kills on .325 hitting
 
Set Four: Lynn 25, Palm Beach Atlantic 19
- With the finish line in sight, Lynn came out firing in the fourth, racing to a 4-0 lead behind consecutive kills from Pukl Verdel, a Radulovic kill and a Sailfish attacking error
- The Fighting Knights continued to dictate the pace, using contributions from Shaw, Neill and Rendic to stretch the advantage to 10-5
- Madison Jones added an ace to make it 12-6 before Pukl Verdel and Shaw helped push Lynn ahead 15-10
- The Fighting Knights appeared to be cruising after kills from Radulovic and Rendic extended the lead to 20-13, but Palm Beach Atlantic had one final push remaining
- The Sailfish erupted for six consecutive points, suddenly cutting Lynn's advantage to just 20-19 and threatening to force a fifth set
- With the pressure mounting, the Fighting Knights delivered their most decisive response of the night
- A Palm Beach Atlantic attacking error halted the comeback before Gorjup stepped to the service line and fired back-to-back aces, restoring a commanding 23-19 advantage
- Radulovic followed with a thunderous kill to bring Lynn to match point before Shaw delivered the final blow, hammering home the match-clinching kill to complete the comeback
- The Fighting Knights closed the match on a 5-0 run, hitting a scorching .343 in the fourth set to seal the 25-19 victory
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Radulovic powered the offense with a match-high 15 kills, committing just three errors on 32 attacks for a .375 hitting percentage
- Reigning back-to-back SSC Setter of the Week Gorjup delivered another outstanding performance, totaling 48 assists, a match-high five service aces and 12 digs for a double-double
- Pukl Verdel finished with 12 kills, three aces and a solo block, accounting for a team-high 16 points
- Shaw was nearly unstoppable offensively, hammering 11 kills with just two errors on 21 swings for a blistering .429 hitting percentage
- Neill added nine kills on .350 hitting while controlling the net with a team-high four blocks, including one solo rejection
- Rendic contributed nine kills, 11 digs and three blocks, giving Lynn another strong all-around performance
- Maidantchik anchored the back row with a team-high 17 digs and two service aces
- Lynn held advantages in kills (58-49), aces (12-4), assists (55-45) and digs (63-56)
- The Fighting Knights hit .262 for the match while holding Palm Beach Atlantic to .195
 
UP NEXT:
The Fighting Knights are back in action at home next Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 7:00 pm for an SSC showdown against the Florida Tech Panthers.