By Ceara Hester |ContributorSharon Quarles' AU women's volleyball team captured the school's first Peach Belt Conference crown in that sport with three wins in the league tournament last weekend at Finis Horne Arena in Greenwood, S.C."It feels amazing," Quarles said of her team's league title. "We are so happy not only for the team, but also for the program and the university as a whole."Quarles said the team has found a good rhythm on the court."It's really fun to see how we are attacking offensively and how we are playing defense," the AU coach said.AU, seeded third, wrapped up the league title by beating Georgia College, the fifth seed, in the final 3-1. The Jags (24-7) had lost both regular-season matches to the Bobcats (16-12). AU won the finale by scores of 25-18, 18-25, 25-19, 25-22.The Jaguars were led by McKenzey Beck. A senior first-team all-conference selection, Beck totaled 11 kills, 18 assists and 14 digs for Augusta in the title match."It's a dream come true," Beck said, "to be in this program and win the PBC championship."Overall in the tournament, Beck had three triple-doubles, giving her eight total for the season. She is now tied for the fourth most triple-doubles in NCAA Division II. Beck was also named tournament MVP."I just go out there and play the game that I love," Beck said, "and luckily that's good enough."Beck had plenty of help in the win over the Bobcats. Chloe Allen, a second team all-PBC choice, had 10 kills, 14 digs, three assisted blocks and two solo blocks. Allen has totaled over 200 kills this season for AU.
"It feels amazing," Allen said of the championship. "It feels awesome to go out there with the girls and playing a sport that we all love, and to accomplish our goals."Jessica Hedrick had a team-high 13 kills for AU.The Jaguars now move on to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional where they will play Georgia College again, for the fourth time this season. That match will be at noon on Thursday, Nov. 15, in Wingate, N.C. The regional match will be televised on ESPN3. (See link below.)"It's an opportunity to extend our season," Quarles said. "It should be an exciting one to witness live or on the webcast. Both teams know each other's strengths and weaknesses."Looming after that will be the first-round winner of USC Aiken v. Lincoln Memorial.AU had swept Francis Marion and Lander in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the PBC, respectively. The Jags now have the second most wins for a season in program history.Link:Match coverage from ESPN3 For more information, contact Ceara Hester at cehester@augusta.edu.