Nationally ranked Jaguar volleyball team stumbles in crossover tournament
By J.Ben Haynes | Sports writer
The No. 22 ranked Augusta volleyball team finished with a 1-2 record over the weekend at the PBC/Gulf South Crossover in Montevallo, Ala.
The Jaguars suffered their first loss of the season on Friday, Sept. 20, against the host Montevallo Falcons by a score of 3-1 despite a dominating offensive performance by sophomore transfer Layne Witherspoon, who finished with 19 kills on a .486 hitting percentage.
Outside of Witherspoon, the Jaguars struggled offensively, with 34 combined kills on a .048 attack percentage.
For the Falcons, hitters Nikol Antova and Eliza Tyrell were dominant, finishing with 17 kills apiece on a combined .258 attack percentage.
The Jaguars woke up on Saturday morning looking to bounce back from their first loss, and they did exactly that, defeating Mississippi College 3-1.
After a slow start, and dropping the first set 25-18 to the Choctaws, Augusta won the next three sets to get back into the win column.
Sophomore Mikayla Kline was a standout performer on both offense and defense. She finished with 12 kills on a .370 attack percentage and led the team in digs with 16.
Marin Freeland had the team lead in kills with 13 on a .407 attack percentage.
Augusta’s final match of the weekend resulted in a Saturday evening loss to the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers by a score of 3-1.
The Jaguars once again struggled in their offensive attack, totaling 47 kills on a .106 kill percentage.
The Chargers were also more efficient in this one, with four service errors compared to Augusta’s six, and three receiving errors compared to Augusta’s seven.
With the 1-2 weekend, the Jaguars fell to 8-2 on the season. The Jags will try to start a new win streak when they travel to Pembroke, N.C., to take on the UNC Pembroke Braves on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
AU’s Guilia Rodrigues was named Peach Belt specialist of the week for the second time this season. Rodrigues had 59 digs in four matches during the week, including 25 against Alabama-Huntsville. She leads the PBC in digs per set.
The Jaguars will have two matches at Christenberry Fieldhouse this weekend, as they open conference play against Flagler College on Friday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. Additionally, the Jaguars will play host to out-of-conference foe Lenoir-Rhyne at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28.
Contact J.Ben Haynes at jamhaynes@augusta.edu.
AU’s Layne Witherspoon Freeland (20) had 19 kills in the Jaguars’ loss to Montevallo in the PBC/Gulf South Crossover. At the top of the page, Witherspoon and her teammates celebrate a point. (photos by Domonic Macias, special to the Bell Ringer)
The Jaguars’ Riley Harris gets the dig during a match in the PBC/Gulf South Crossover at the University of Montevallo in Alabama. (photo by Domonic Macias, special to the Bell Ringer)
