Jaguars advance in PBC volleyball tournament; Lander is next in semis
By J.Ben Hayes | Sports writer
The Augusta University volleyball team advanced to the semifinal round of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament with a sweep of Georgia College at Christenberry Fieldhouse on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
The win marks the Jaguars fourth over the Bobcats during the season and moves their record to 19-6 overall, and AU has not lost a set to Georgia College since 2022.
Augusta was dominant in the first and third sets, winning the sets by a combined score of 50-17. In total, the fourth-seeded Jaguars won over the fifth-seeded Bobcats (8-21) by sets scores of 25-7, 25-20, 25-10.
“Our focus was staying disciplined and working on the things that we need to work on to be ready for this weekend,” said sophomore outside hitter Mikayla Kline.
Sophomore Layne Witherspoon led the Jaguars in kills, finishing with 11 on a .273 attack percentage.
Senior Sophia Kruczko was the most efficient hitter for Augusta, finishing with nine kills on a dominant .529 attack percentage.
The Jaguars also combined for eight service aces, as senior Rylie Harris led the way with three.
The win sets Augusta up for a marquee matchup with league-leading Lander University in the semifinals of the Peach Belt Conference tournament.
“I think we need to play clean and play our game,” said Kline, who had two kills, seven digs and two blocks. “In the past few games, we’ve really started to make better connections, and I think we’re a lot more prepared this time than we have been.”
Augusta has won seven of its last eight matches and finished 9-1 at home for the season.
Janvier Buggs set up the offense all night long and finished with 20 assists. The graduate student from Smyrna, Tenn., now has 539 assists on the season. She was an honorable mention all-American last season.
The Jaguars’ match with the Bearcats will take place at Finis Horne Arena in Greenwood, S.C., on Friday, Nov. 22, at 4:30 p.m.
Third-seeded USC Aiken will go up against second-seeded Flagler in the other semifinal. That match starts at 2 p.m. the same day.
The championship match will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, at Lander.
Contact J.Ben Hayes at jamhaynes@augusta.edu.
AU outside hitter Sophia Kruczko (8) nails one of her nine kills in a three-set win over Georgia College. At the top of the page, Layne Witherspoon (20) gets a dig for the Jaguars. (photos by Lydia Williams/the Bell Ringer)
Janvier Buggs (21) sets up Madelyn Eden for the kill as the Jaguars won the PBC play-in match. Up next is Lander in the conference tournament semifinal. (photo by Lydia Williams/the Bell Ringer)
