WINTER HAVEN – For much of the night, Polk State Volleyball stood toe-to-toe with the nation's No. 1 team in its home opener. In the end, however, No. 1 Miami Dade College stayed perfect with a 3-0 victory at the Health Center on Wednesday night.

The Eagles (0-14, 0-3 Citrus Conference) fell by scores of 25-20, 25-11, 25-12. For Polk State, the first set was there for the taking.

Chillis Oke and Dublin Fitzgerald combined for a block at the net that got the night's scoring started. Following a service error that gave Polk State a 2-1 lead, Oke and Camila Freitag combined for a block to double the advantage.

The last lead for Polk State was 9-8, which came after an Addison Holley ace tied things up. Trailing 19-17 late in the set, consecutive kills from Oke and Fitzgerald tied things at 19 apiece. The Sharks closed on a 6-1 run. A block by Miami Dade's Maria Fernanda de Lima Varela and Veronika Petrova ended the set.

Polk State never led in the second set but briefly tied it at 1 on a block by Oke and Freitag. Miami Dade was in control for most of the second but turned it into a rout with a 7-0 run that extended the lead to 23-10. Fitzgerald ultimately ended the run with a kill.

An error gave Polk State an early 1-0 lead in the third before Miami Dade seized control with a 12-3 run. Down 13-5, the Eagles fought back with four straight points. A Jasmine Mahoney ace ultimately capped the run. The Sharks responded with four straight points to regain momentum.

Freitag led Polk State with seven kills. Holley and Mahoney each added five digs. Souleyma Mbarek led the Sharks with 10 digs. 

For the first time in Citrus Conference play, Polk State will face an unranked opponent on Saturday. The Eagles remain home to take on Eastern Florida State College.