FORT MYERS, Fla. - No. 16 Polk State Volleyball made its case for an at-large berth in the national NJCAA Tournament with a four-set statement victory over No. 13 Daytona State College in the third-place match of the FCSAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Eagles (14-10) earned their sixth win of the season over an NJCAA-ranked opponent with the victory over the Falcons (20-9).
 
For the first time since Sept. 9 against Monroe College, the Eagles had three individuals register double-digit kills with Keionna Mackey (21), Karolina Zubkova (13), and A'lanae Margaritha (11). The totals for Zubkova and Margaritha were season-highs, while this marked Mackey's third 20-kill game this season.
 
The first set was a crucial back-and-forth battle that featured nine ties and seven lead changes and set the tone for the rest of the match. With Polk State trailing late in the set 20-18, a trio of kills by Loes Peijnenburg, Martina Gonzato, and Mackey regained the lead for the Eagles 21-20. With the Eagles up 24-22, Daytona State rallied to tie the match 24-24. After back-to-back attack errors put Polk ahead 27-26, it was a Carolina Guerreiro Cruz kill that cemented the set for the Eagles, 28-26.
 
Daytona State retaliated in the second set with a 25-21 win to even the match 1-1. The Falcons kept all of their serves in during the set, while the Eagles committed five service errors.
 
However, the Eagles responded with their most dominant set of the tournament, upending Daytona State 25-10 to regain the advantage in the match. Polk State hit an astounding .406 in the set, committing just two errors in 32 attempts with 15 kills. Mackey had 10 of her 21 kills in the set.
 
In the fourth set, the Eagles continued to keep the Falcons off balance in their attack, creating 17 more attack opportunities for themselves than they allowed Daytona to have. Crismeyli Rodriguez was clutch for Polk State down the stretch of the match-clinching set, turning three consecutive kills that put the Eagles ahead 24-19. A kill by Peijnenburg eventually closed out the set and the match 25-21.
 
Polk State captains Madi O'Sullivan and Irene Mostardini shined for the Eagles, with O'Sullivan logging 44 assists and Mostardini totaling 21 digs. This marked O'Sullivan's fifth outing with 40 or more assists this season and Mostardini's 10th with 20-plus digs.
 
The Eagles now await to see if they will earn one of the four at-large berths in the NJCAA Tournament.