Suguturaga reaps PBC honors; Friday match at Lander postponed
By Madison Keel | Sports writer
Augusta University’s Jada Suguturaga has been named the Peach Belt Conference volleyball player of the week.
Suguturaga, a sophomore from South Jordan, Utah, received the honor for the week of Sept. 26. The 6-foot-1 middle hitter averaged 2.64 kills per set and accumulated 33 total kills over the course of 13 sets. She had 15 kills in a five-set AU win over USC Aiken on Sept. 24.
As a member of the first-place Jaguars volleyball team, she is averaging 1.15 blocks per set. Suguturaga sits fourth in the PBC in attack percentage and third in blocks per set.
“I did not expect to be named the conference player of the week,” she said. “I was a bit shocked. I got an overwhelming amount of love from my coaches, teammates and other staff here at AU, which was super nice knowing I have that support system behind me.”
Suguturaga also noted how being named the player of the week made her realize how extremely grateful she is for her team and how she “truly wouldn't be able to do any of it without them.”
Suguturaga said going forward the award would be a motivator.
“It adds more fuel to the fire,” she said. “While I am extremely thankful to have been picked and praised for my stats this week, I know that there is always room for improvement, and this serves as a reminder of that.”
Suguturaga did not take all the credit for the accomplishment.
“I am just so thankful to be a part of a program that pushes me to be better and be able to excel at the sport I love,” she said. “It shows that all of the hard work that we have been putting in in practice is paying off. I'm just excited to continue playing and getting better with my team throughout this season.”
The Jaguars’ match with Lander on Friday, Sept. 30, at Lander has been postponed due to Hurricane Ian, which was expected to make landfall in South Carolina on Friday.
The match at Lander on Oct. 1 at 3 p.m. is still on.
AU is in first place in the PBC at 4-1 (12-4 overall). Lander is second at 5-2 (12-4 overall).
“Lander is tough,” said AU senior Alexis Diaz-Infante. “We have to be ready to play.”
The women will be home again on Oct. 4 against Georgia College in Christenberry Fieldhouse at 6 p.m.
Contact Madison Keel mkeel@augusta.edu.
Jada Suguturaga (13) smiles after yet another kill for the AU volleyball team. At the top of the page, Suguturaga blocks in a recent AU volleyball match. (photos by Madison Keel)
