No. 22 Jaguar volleyball downs Shorter in three sets
By J.Ben Haynes | Sports writer
The 22nd-ranked Augusta volleyball team continued its dominating ways in a 3-0 home opener sweep of the Shorter Hawks on Tuesday, Sept. 17., at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
Sophomore Mikayla Kline, a Lakeside High School product, and transfer Marin Freeland, who came to AU from Murray State, led the way for the home team. Kline had a career-high 12 kills to lead the Jaguars past the Hawks 25-19, 25-23, 25-21. Freeland finished with nine powerful kills on a .227 kill percentage, while Kline ended with a .276 kill percentage.
“We kept it simple,” Kline said after her outstanding match. “Volleyball sometimes gets very crazy. Things get sporadic, but we just go back to basics.”
After the first set got out to a 5-5 tie, the Jaguars went on a 15-6 run led by a plethora of Jaguar hitters to take control of the set, ultimately winning 25-19.
The second set was the tightest of the three, as both teams exchanged points on their way to a 23-23 tie, but as dominant teams do, the Jaguars won the next two points on kills by Sophia Kruczko and Madelyn Eden.
In the third and final set, the Jaguars seemed to have taken control with a 22-15 lead, but a 5-1 Shorter run got the Hawks back into the set.
But that would be all she wrote, as a Freeland kill and Shorter service error gave Augusta the set and match victories.
The Jaguars combined for 14 block assists on defense and were led by Rylie Harris’ 16 digs.
Shorter (3-3) was led by Emily Crocker with eight kills.
Augusta (7-0) looks to improve its national ranking and remain unbeaten as they head to the University of Montevallo this weekend in a three-match round robin. Augusta ‘s other opponents will be Mississippi College and the University of Alabama at Huntsville.
“I feel good,” Kline added. “I thought we had a lot of energy at the end. We could definitely clean some things up a little bit. We're going to Alabama this weekend, so I'm excited for the next match.”
The Jaguars’ first match will be against the University of Montevallo on Friday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m.
Contact J.Ben Haynes at jamhaynes@augusta.edu.
AU’s Marin Freeland gets one of her nine kills on the night, as the Jaguars defeated Shorter in three sets. At the top of the page, Mikayla Kline scores one of her career-high 12 kills for Augusta. (photos by Paula Toole/AU Athletics)
AU’s Mia Saavedra (5) sets the ball as teammates Jada Suguturage (13) and Marin Freeland (18) watch on. (photo by Paula Toole, AU Athletics)
