AUGUSTA, GA – The top-seeded Flagler Saints survived a five-set thriller over fifth-seeded Lander to advance to the championship game of the 2021 PBC Volleyball Tournament on Saturday. The Saints won the first two sets 25-23 and 27-25. Lander won the third set 25-19 and the fourth 25-22. Flagler took the final set 15-11. Flagler will now face second-seeded Augusta in the championship match, the third straight year the two have met in the final.

Match Notes

• Lander opened the first set by scoring the first five points and maintained that lead for the first half of the set. Down 14-11, Flagler ran off three straight, culminating with a Jordan Berglin ace. The teams were tied at 15, 17, 18, 19 and 20 before Lander opened up a two-point gap 23-21 following a Saint service error. Flagler answered with a Logan Garcia kill and LU attack error to tie, then took their first lead of the set 24-23 with a block from Kennedy Muff and Molly Boyd. A Rachel Machovec kill on the next serve finished the set.

• The second set was equally tight as neither team led by more than three points. Lander tied the score at 25 following a kill from Christina Aguayo, but Flagler scored the next two points on Bearcat errors, winning 27-25 on a block from Machovec and Garcia.

• Lander stormed back in the third set, hitting .423 as a team and holding the Saints to .000. The teams were tied at four when Lander went on a 6-0 run behind the serve of Patricia Pantoja. The lead grew to as many as eight as a solo block from Nadia Carter made the score 18-10 and reached nine after a Carter kill at 20-11. Flagler made a late 5-0 run to trim the lead, but Lander secured the set on a kill from Daria De Carvalho Peixe.

• Lander hit .355 in the fourth set with only two attack errors in 31 total attempts. Once again, the Bearcats got out of the gate early, forcing Flagler to pursue. A Maya Walker kill made the score 10-5, but Flagler responded with a 10-5 run to tie the score at 15. The score was tied at 21 when Lander got three kills in a row from Carter, Walker and Dow. Flagler responded with a kill from Garcia, but Lander closed out the set on the next point on an attack error.

• Flagler took the early lead in the fifth set, scoring the first three points and leading 5-2. Lander answered with three straight before Berglin ended the run with a kill. The Saints opened the gap with a series of kills, leading 11-8 after Molly Boyd’s strike. A Machovec kill coupled with a block from Machovec and Boyd gave Flagler a 13-9 lead and they went on to clinch with a Berglin kill down the line.

• Berglin led the Saints with 11 kills, adding nine digs and a block. Garcia added 10 kills, five blocks and five digs. Edie Lamoreaux had 26 digs for the Saints while Kennedy Muff had 43 assists and 11 digs.

• Walker led Lander with 16 kills, one of four Bearcats to reach double-digit kills. Patricia Pantoja had 26 digs while Maddie Moss led all players with 55 assists.

• Flagler returns to the PBC Championship game for the sixth time in the last seven years and for the 11^th time since 2009. Flagler has won six PBC Tournament titles and on Sunday will be seeking their first since 2017.