AU volleyball team preps for season opener with intrasquad scrimmage
Staff report
The Augusta University volleyball team will open its new season on Friday, Sept. 6, in Lakeland, Fla., and the Jaguars prepped for the opener with their own intrasquad scrimmage on Aug. 30 at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
The Jaguars, coming off a 29-5 campaign that took them to the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen in 2023, are led by senior outside hitter Sophia Kruczko and senior setter Janvier Buggs, both of whom were named to the preseason all-Peach Belt Conference team last week.
Buggs, who had 973 assists last season, was an honorable mention all-American, while Kruczko is the leading returning hitter. She had 283 kills in 2023.
The league’s coaches also picked Augusta to defend its championship of a year ago when the Jaguars won both the regular-season and tournament titles. Lander is expected to finish second.
Also returning for AU are defensive specialist Rylie Harris, middle blocker Madelyn Eden, middle hitter Jada Suguturaga, outside hitter Mikayla Kline, setter Marah Zenner, outside hitter Abigail LeVines and middle hitter Lauren Posa.
Coach Sharon Quarles has also added six new players to the program. These include middle hitter Layne Witherspoon, right-side hitter Marin Freeland, outside hitter Jacklyn Simms, libero Libby Nickels, setter Mia Saaverda and libero Giulia Rodrigues.
The Jaguars open with Palm Beach Atlanta University in the Florida Southern Tournament in Lakeland. They will play Lewis University and host Florida Southern on Saturday, Sept. 7.
It will be a homecoming for Eden, who is from nearby Mulberry, Fla. Eden started her career at St. Leo, which is also near Lakeland, before she transferred to AU. Eden was nationally ranked in blocks per set in 2023.
All matches at Florida Southern will be played at the Jenkins Field House.
Second team all-American Jazmyn Wheeler is serving as a graduate assistant this season after her eligibility ran out. She joins Deja Moorer on Quarles’ staff.
AU middle hitter Jada Suguturaga (13) goes up for the touch shot during the Blue-Gray scrimmage at Christenberr Fieldhouse on Sept. 30. At the top of the page, Sophia Kruczko hammers home a kill; she is the leading returning hitter for the Jaguars. (photos by Lydia Williams)
