Box Score FORT MYERS – No. 17 Polk State Volleyball came out determined to make a statement on the road against No. 1 Florida SouthWestern State College on  Saturday afternoon. The Eagles took the first set from the reigning NJCAA national champions before attack errors doomed Polk State in a four-set loss.
 
The Eagles (7-4, 3-1 Citrus Conference) committed nearly three times as many attack errors as the Buccaneers (14-0, 3-0 Citrus), totaling 35 miscues over four sets compared to Florida SouthWestern's 12.
 
Polk State played its best set of volleyball in the opening set, taking the session, 25-18. Sophomore outside hitter Keionna Mackey recorded six of her match-leading 16 kills in the first set, as the Eagles closed on an 8-1 run on the Buccaneers.
 
FSW retaliated with back-to-back pulverizing sets of attack, hitting .385 as a team in the second set and .421 in the third. On the other side of the court, Polk State hit in the negative in each set, as the Buccaneers took the middle two sets by scores of 25-16 and 25-6, respectively.
 
In a much more competitive fourth set, the Eagles seemed in prime position to force a fifth set, leading 18-14. However, the Buccaneers closed out the set on an 11-2 run, with five of those FSW points coming off Polk attack errors.
 
Mackey was joined in the double-digit kill club by sophomore outside hitter A'lanae Margaritha with 10. Sophomore setter Madi O'Sullivan paced the Eagles in assists at 31. Sophomore libero Irene Mostardini turned in her fourth game of 20 or more digs with 26, while sophomore outside hitter Carolina Guerreiro Cruz had 15 digs.
 
The Eagles will remain in competition with the upper echelon of the Citrus Conference, as they head to Miami on Wednesday to take on No. 2 Miami Dade College. Match time is set for 6 p.m.