Box Score MIAMI – The good news for Polk State Volleyball is that it has proved it can play with the nation's best. The bad news is that its last two matches against the nation's top two ranked teams have both ended in losses.

The 15th-ranked Eagles came up short on Wednesday night at No. 2 Miami Dade College, 3-1. For the second straight match, Polk State (7-5, 3-2 Citrus Conference) took the first set but dropped the final three. On Saturday, the Eagles became the first team all year to win a set against No. 1 and reigning national champion Florida SouthWestern State College.

On Wednesday night, Polk State took the first set, 25-18. After a service ace from Faith Marquis gave the Eagles match point, a Miami Dade error ultimately ended the set. Marquis finished with two of the five aces for Polk State.

From there, however, it was all Sharks. Polk State didn't score more than 19 points in any of the final three sets and finished with an attack percentage below .200 in each after posting a solid .320 mark in the opening frame.

"We had a good start to the match tonight," Head Coach Dayanna Barbosa said. "Unfortunately, we couldn't keep that momentum going in the following sets."

Keionna Mackey led Polk State with 14 kills, including five in the opening set. Irene Mostardini and Crismeyli Rodriguez finished with 18 and 16 digs, respectively, while Madi O'Sullivan paced the Eagles with 37 assists. Carolina Guerreiro Cruz added nine kills and eight digs in the loss.

Since winning seven straight matches, the Eagles have now dropped two in a row. They will play their next three matches at home. That begins on Saturday afternoon against Indian River State College. The contest is scheduled for 2 p.m.