AU sweeps Pacer Invitational with four straight 3-0 victories
By Rachel Carman | Sports writer
It was a dominant performance by the Augusta University volleyball last weekend (Sept. 8-9) as the team swept all four matches in the Pacer Invitational in Aiken S.C.
The Jags first defeated North Greenville University with a 3-0 victory in the opener on Friday, Sept. 8. Augusta posted hot runs against the Crusaders, starting with 9-3 at the start of set one. The Jags had similar runs in the second set and took the match in set three with a notable 11-0 scoring run. Set scores for the match were 25-19, 25-12, 25-17.
Sophia Kruczko led the way for AU with 10 kills, and Abigail Breeden had 15 assists. Jazmyn Wheeler added eight digs.
Next up Friday, the Jaguars took on Carson-Newman University. Augusta started strong in the first set, jumping to a seven-point scoring run to keep a five-point lead over the Eagles.
The Jaguars stayed dominant throughout the second and third sets, ending the match with set scores of 25-15, 25-22, 25-17. Both teams walked away with 34 kills and 33 assists, with Wheeler leading AU with 12 kills and Janvier Buggs adding an impressive 16 assists. The difference in the match was that Augusta had 10 aces, compared to just three for the Eagles.
The Jaguars started the second day with a match against Lenoir-Rhyne, ending with yet another 3-0 victory. Set scores for the match were 25-14, 25-10, 25-12.
Kruczko, the transfer from East Carolina University, dominated with eight kills and three blocks, with support from Madelyn Eden, who posted eight blocks of her own. The defense was strong with 13 digs from Dariana Luna and eight from Buggs, the Austin Peay University transfer.
AU concluded the Pacer Invitational against Belmont Abbey College with the Jaguars’ fourth 3-0 win. The Jags played stout defense against Belmont Abbey, holding the Crusaders to a negative hitting percentage of -.047, compared to the Jags’ efficient .387. AU beat Belmont Abbey with ease, winning 25-8, 25-12, 25-13.
Buggs continued to show her skills, adding 17 assists for a total of 53 for the weekend.
In the four matches, Wheeler led the way with 34 kills, followed by Kruczko with 31.
Update: The Jaguars (6-3) defeated Shorter University on Tuesday, Sept. 12, in four sets (25-14, 24-26, 25-21, 25-13) Wheeler and Kruczko each had 12 kills for Augusta. Buggs had 19 assists, and Lune had 22 digs and Riley Harris 12. Shorter (3-5) was led by Caroline Sivills, who had 11 kills.
Up next: AU will host the Peach Belt/Gulf South Crossover on Sept. 15-16 at Christenberry Fieldhouse. The first match for the Jaguars will be Friday, Sept. 15, at 2 p.m. against Valdosta State. Augusta will play Montevallo and Mississippi College on Saturday, Sept. 16, at noon and 4 p.m., respectively.
Contact Rachel Carman at racarman@augusta.edu.
AU’s Jazmyn Wheeler (16) and Jada Suguturaga (13) get in position to block an attempted kill from Carson-Newman’s Taylor Adams (10). At the top of the page, Janvier Buggs (21) and Sophia Kruczko (8) celebrate after Kruczko scores one of her eight kills for the Jags during the match against Carson-Newman. Also celebrating, from left to right, are Suguturaga, Wheeler and Rylie Harris (3). (photos by Rachel Carman)
Jaguar libero Dariana Luna hustles to keep the ball in play as teammates Jazmyn Wheeler (16), Jada Suguturaga (13) and Mikayla Kline (12) watch during the Pacer Invitational. (photo by Rachel Carman)
