Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 FORT MYERS, Fla. – Polk State Volleyball opened the 2023 campaign with a pair of tough losses against formidable NJCAA top-15 opponents. The Eagles fell to both No. 7 Trinity Valley State College and No. 14 Monroe College in four sets to open up play at the Adventures in Paradise Battle at the Beach Invitational hosted by Florida SouthWesternn.
 
MATCH ONE: No. 7 Trinity Valley 3,  Polk State 1
 
The Eagles (0-1) could not surpass a Trinity Valley (8-0) team that Polk defeated in straight sets in Fort Myers during opening weekend last season, dropping the last two sets of the match to fall in four.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Carolina Guerreiro Cruz carried the offensive load for the Eagles, accounting for 40.8% of the team's kills with a squad-best 20. Additionally, Guerreiro Cruz hit a team-high .310 and recorded the second-highest dig total for the Eagles with 14.
 
After Polk quickly got out to a 4-0 lead in the first set, things quickly became a back-and-forth affair, with a trio of lead changes until the Cardinals took the lead in the set for good at 17-16. A combination of three Polk attack errors and two service aces for Trinity Valley helped close out the set, 25-20.
 
The Eagles soared back to even the match 1-1 with a dominant 25-17 victory in the second set. Polk was able to capitalize on a match-high 10 attack errors by the Cardinals. The Eagles spread the attack around in the set, with six different individuals recording a kill.
 
Despite hitting a match best .234 in the third set, the Eagles' attack was topped by the Cardinals hitting .295 with only three errors in 44 attempts in the set. Sophomore setter Carleiny Morillo recorded 12 of her team-best 35 assists for Polk in the set, as the Eagles ultimately dropped the session, 25-21.
 
Trinity Valley continued to elevate the temperature on the court with its offense in the fourth set, notching their match best .323 attack percentage, while the Eagles turned in their lowest hitting percentage of the match with an .031 clip after committing eight errors in 32 attempts. Polk dropped its second straight set by a score of 25-21 and the match 3-1.
 
Sophomore libero Irene Mostardini recorded 24 digs for Polk, while UNC Greensboro transfer Karolina Zubkova totaled a team-high eight blocks, seven of which were solo efforts, in her debut for the Eagles.
 
MATCH TWO: No. 14 Monroe 3, Polk State 1
 
Polk State (0-2) found itself at an early 2-0 deficit in the match due to amassing just 22 kills with 18 errors in 70 attempts through the first two sets. With just one more total kill (23) than the Eagles during that stretch, Monroe minimized its mistakes, committing just 10 errors over the first two sets to take the sessions by scores of 25-19 and 25-22, respectively.
 
The Eagles played their best set of volleyball on the day in the third set against the Mustangs. The Eagles hit .412 with just three errors and 17 kills in 34 attempts. Guerreiro Cruz continued her offensive tear, recording eight of her 22 kills during the third set. Her 22 kills were the most of any player on the court. Her two performances on Friday marked the second and third career contests with 20 or more kills for the Sao Paulo, Brazil native. 
 
The Eagles battled fiercely throughout the fourth set, leading by as many as four in the early goings before the Mustangs took a 13-12 advantage. Polk regained the lead once more on a service ace by Guerreiro Cruz that earned the Eagles an 18-17 lead. However, Monroe closed out the set on an 8-3 run to secure the four-set victory.

Sophomore Santa Fe College transfer Keionna Mackey recorded her first double-digit kill outing in a Polk uniform, totaling 14. Morillo set a new career-high mark for herself in assists for the second time on the day, totaling 41 helpers against Monroe.
 
Polk looks to secure its first win of the season on Saturday with another pair of matches in Fort Myers. The Eagles battle No. 9 Utah State University Eastern at 11:30 a.m. before taking on Palm Beach State College at 4:30 p.m.