By Jamie Sapp | Editor-in-ChiefAUGUSTA, Ga. - For their home opener, it was a great day for the Augusta Jaguars as they hosted the 2016 Augusta Volleyball Invitational on Sept. 10 at the Christenberry Fieldhouse. The 2016 Augusta Volleyball Invitational included the Augusta University Jaguars, Georgia College Bobcats, North Greenville University Crusaders, and Southern Wesleyan University Warriors.As the Augusta University women’s volleyball team hosted the tournament, there were two neutral matches: GC Bobcats vs. SWU Warriors and GC Bobcats vs. NGU Crusaders. According to augustajags.com, the Bobcats defeated both the Warriors and the Crusaders with two 3-0 wins.With the Jaguars, they scored two wins at their home opener, according to augustajags.com. For their first game, the Jags defeated the Crusaders with a 3-1 win. As for their second game, the Jags came back to score a 3-0 win against the Warriors.The Jags played competitively against the two visiting teams, while they brought to the court a fun, friendly attitude.Head Coach Sharon Quarles said she saw more improvement with her team, since the team’s loss on Sept. 3 at the Queens Tournament in Charlotte, N.C.“It’s our home opener, so that was huge to get the ‘first-game’ home jitters out of the way,” Quarles said. “But our freshmen stepped up. …We have four freshmen on the court that just came together and just stepped up...”Freshman outside hitter Savanna Roy said the two games were better than the Jaguars’ first tournament.“We came together as a team,” she said. “And, we were able to full-force attack on other teams.”For Roy, it was not only a moment of competition, but it was also a moment of fun.“That’s been big for us, being able to focus enough but also still have fun,” Roy said. “And that’s what came today. We had the energy. We had the effort and the ability, and everything came together.”As for the Jaguars, head coach Sharon Quarles said the communication had gotten better as the team progressed.“At the start, especially when you’re young and you have freshmen, the tendency is not to over communicate,” she said. “So you got to really cool out the fact and the idea that you have to communicate. And you have got to verbalize and vocalize everything.”Once the communication picks up, Quarles said the hesitation disappears.“That’s the biggest thing for us,” she said. “As long as we come out strong, come out and have fun, and communicate, people find their spacing, they start swinging on the ball and they start working together better.”The Jaguars will compete against the USC Aiken Pacers at their whiteout game on Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. in the Christenberry Fieldhouse. According to augustajags.com, it is the Jaguars’ first conference match of the season.Contact Jamie Sapp at jsapp270@augusta.edu.
By Jamie Sapp | Editor-in-ChiefAUGUSTA, Ga. - For their home opener, it was a great day for the Augusta Jaguars as they hosted the 2016 Augusta Volleyball Invitational on Sept. 10 at the Christenberry Fieldhouse. The 2016 Augusta Volleyball Invitational included the Augusta University Jaguars, Georgia College Bobcats, North Greenville University Crusaders, and Southern Wesleyan University Warriors.As the Augusta University women’s volleyball team hosted the tournament, there were two neutral matches: GC Bobcats vs. SWU Warriors and GC Bobcats vs. NGU Crusaders. According to augustajags.com, the Bobcats defeated both the Warriors and the Crusaders with two 3-0 wins.With the Jaguars, they scored two wins at their home opener, according to augustajags.com. For their first game, the Jags defeated the Crusaders with a 3-1 win. As for their second game, the Jags came back to score a 3-0 win against the Warriors.The Jags played competitively against the two visiting teams, while they brought to the court a fun, friendly attitude.Head Coach Sharon Quarles said she saw more improvement with her team, since the team’s loss on Sept. 3 at the Queens Tournament in Charlotte, N.C.“It’s our home opener, so that was huge to get the ‘first-game’ home jitters out of the way,” Quarles said. “But our freshmen stepped up. …We have four freshmen on the court that just came together and just stepped up...”Freshman outside hitter Savanna Roy said the two games were better than the Jaguars’ first tournament.“We came together as a team,” she said. “And, we were able to full-force attack on other teams.”For Roy, it was not only a moment of competition, but it was also a moment of fun.“That’s been big for us, being able to focus enough but also still have fun,” Roy said. “And that’s what came today. We had the energy. We had the effort and the ability, and everything came together.”As for the Jaguars, head coach Sharon Quarles said the communication had gotten better as the team progressed.“At the start, especially when you’re young and you have freshmen, the tendency is not to over communicate,” she said. “So you got to really cool out the fact and the idea that you have to communicate. And you have got to verbalize and vocalize everything.”Once the communication picks up, Quarles said the hesitation disappears.“That’s the biggest thing for us,” she said. “As long as we come out strong, come out and have fun, and communicate, people find their spacing, they start swinging on the ball and they start working together better.”The Jaguars will compete against the USC Aiken Pacers at their whiteout game on Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. in the Christenberry Fieldhouse. According to augustajags.com, it is the Jaguars’ first conference match of the season.Contact Jamie Sapp at jsapp270@augusta.edu.