SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Jizzyan Gesualdo had 33 assists and 17 digs Sunday against USC Upstate, but the fifth-year senior's 32nd double-double wasn't quite enough to give the victory to the Jacksonville University volleyball team.

The first set largely belonged to Jacksonville. Upstate briefly led by as many as two points at 8-6, but a 4-0 run featuring kills by Amarrah Cooks and Natalie Wehner and a service ace by Shelby Babowicz put the Dolphins out front 10-8. But the Spartans refused to go away, tying the set up four more times before taking the lead again at 21-20 and jumping out to a three-point lead 23-20. An Upstate error on first set point gave the Dolphins some breathing room, but with a chance to tie to up the game the Dolphins suffered an attack error of their own. The first set went to Upstate 25-23.

Jacksonville stumbled a bit at the beginning of the second set, allowing a 6-0 run by the Spartans. Darty's well-timed time out got the Dolphins back in it though, inspiring a 13-7 run that evened up the set. JU would take its first lead at 21-20, and the two teams would trade the lead for the next several points before the Spartans took the lead for good at 25-24. The Spartans closed the set with a service ace, winning 26-24.

The critical set was scrappy in the early goings with three ties in the first eight points. JU stayed within a point, trailing 6-7, before Upstate started to pull away. A 4-0 run and two 3-0 runs allowed the Spartans to extend their lead, and despite the best efforts by the Dolphins, Upstate won the set 25-16 and the match 3-0.

The Dolphins continue their six-game road trip next Friday at Florida Gulf Coast and next Saturday at Stetson.

Final Stats

• Gesualdo moved up to fifth all-time in JU's career assist list. She now has 2,958, and trails fourth-place Carrie Bosworth (1998-2001) by just 176 assists. She's on pace to catch Bosworth within the next six matches
• Gesualdo now has 32 career double-doubles
• Nushtayeva had nine kills and three blocks
• Mackenzie Swan had 13 digs, her 17th consecutive match with at least 10 digs