By Brian Mitchell |Sports writerAugusta University used a strong defensive presence led by Chloe Allen to sweep all three of its matches in the Jaguar Rumble at Christenberry Fieldhouse on Sept. 13-14.On Friday, AU beat Albany State 3-0 with game scores of 25-9, 25-7 and 25-14. Then, on Saturday, the Jaguars defeated King University of Tennessee by scores of 25-17, 25-20 and 25-8. In the finale, Augusta defeated Emmanuel by scores of 25-18, 25-7 and 25-19.With the three victories, the Jags' record improved to 5-2.The Jaguars controlled the first of the two sets in the first match of the tournament. Albany State put up more of a fight in the third set. However, it didn’t change the outcome of the match.After the first match against the Rams, the Jags went on to play King University. King put up more of a challenge in the first two sets as they scored over 15 points. The Jags the proceeded to dominate the Tornadoes in the final set.The last match of the tournament proved to be challenging for the Jaguars. The Emanuel Lions scored 18 points in the first set. The second set had a different result with the Jags catching fire and winning 25 to 7.The final set proved to be the hardest set in the match. The Lions went point for point with the Jaguars. The Lions persistence didn’t bother the Jaguars as they beat Emmanuel in the final set 25-19.The Jaguars' teamwork and defense proved vital throughout the Jaguar Rumble. Coach Sharon Quarles said that the Jaguars are very solid.“We were able to control the tempo of the offense and were able to manage all balls defensively,” she said.Chloe Allen led the AU defense by consistently blocking her opponents' attempted kills. Madison Malloch, who is 6-foot-3, also played well at the net, as did Kylie Martin.Quarles believes the Jags need to work on their serves and their communication.The Jaguars' next game will be on Tuesday, Sept. 17 against Belmont Abbey. The match is a Christenberry Fieldhouse and begins at 7 p.m.
Contact Brian Mitchell at brmitchell2@augusta.edu.