WILMINGTON, N.C. – The Jacksonville University volleyball team had a bit of a mixed day Saturday, splitting the final two matches of the UNCW Courtyard by Marriott Volleyball Classic. The Dolphins defeated Davidson 3-1 and lost to University of North Carolina-Wilmington 3-1. JU closed the opening weekend of the 2016 season with a 2-1 record.
JU faced Davidson first on Saturday, meeting the Wildcats in the noon match of the UNCW Courtyard by Marriott Volleyball Classic. The Dolphins took control quickly in the first set, jumping out to a 6-3 lead. Davidson tied the game at 10-10, but Jacksonville put together a 5-1 run to go ahead 15-11. The Wildcats tied it again at 16-16 and 24-24, but back-to-back Davidson errors gave the Dolphins a 26-24 win.
The second set belonged entirely to Jacksonville. The Dolphins opened with a 7-0 run, and led 11-1 before Davidson could score two points in a row. A late run got the Wildcats within striking distance at 23-19, but Amarrah Cooks and Cristina Finan kills secured a 25-20 set win and put the Dolphins up 2-0 entering the third.
The battle intensified in the third set, which featured 12 ties and five game points. Jacksonville had opportunities to win the match at 24-22, 24-23, 25-24, and 26-25, but each time Davidson would strike back to tie the game again. In the end the Wildcats used a 3-0 run to win the third set 28-26 and extend the match.
The first point of the deciding set went to the Dolphins, and despite three ties, they never relinquished the lead. JU stretched the lead to as much as seven points on three different occasions, and won the set by a margin of six points, 25-19. The final score: Jacksonville 3, Davidson 1
Mallory Mattingly led in kills with 14, and collected her first double-double with 13 digs. Finan and Jessica Armstrong each had 12 kills, with Finan collecting 15 digs and Armstrong digging four. Jizzyan Gesualdo had 41 assists and 11 digs, Alleah Stamatis had 12 digs, and Mackenzie Swan had 20 digs, eight assists, and 1 service ace. Olga Nushtayeva had nine kills, and Cooks had five kills.
"This win didn't feel as smooth," said Head Coach Julie Darty. "I'm not sure what it was, but we definitely made more errors and it rattled our game plan. I think our upperclassmen won this one for us. Their leadership was important for us, and they stepped up when we needed them to. I will say that I continued to be impressed by our defense and the pressure we can apply from the service line. If we can serve and defend consistently, I think that some things will fall into place. This is a young but resilient group."
The Dolphins returned to the court at 7 p.m. against UNCW, the tournament host and defending Coastal Athletic Association champion. The Dolphins took an early 4-1 lead and led for the majority of the game, but surrendered the lead to the Seahawks at 19-20. UNCW held on for the rest of the set, winning 25-23.
The second set was also very close, with the two teams tied at 13-13 at the midpoint. But UNCW was able to take the lead on the next point, and wouldn't let go. The Seahawks took the second set 25-20 to go up 2-0.
Several UNCW errors early in the third gave Jacksonville some life, and a strong set by Armstrong and Nushtayeva kept the Dolphins out front. The Seahawks forced a tie at 14-14 and again at 17-17, but JU overcame both to win the set 25-20 on a Mattingly kill.
But the night didn't belong to Jacksonville. UNCW took quick control with a 13-0 run, and it proved too much for the Dolphins to overcome. The Seahawks won the set 25-10 and the match 3-1.
Mattingly again led in kills with 12, and collected her second double-double in three games with 14 digs. The freshman also had two service aces. Armstrong had 11 kills and five total blocks, Nushtayeva had nine kills, and Cooks had six kills and two blocks. Gesualdo had 27 assists and seven digs, Finan had 12 digs and five kills, and Stamatis collected her first double-double with 11 digs and 12 assists. Swan led in digs with 21.
Armstrong and Swan were named to the All-Tournament team.
The Dolphins will return to the court on Friday, September 2 at the newly-renovated Historic Swisher Gym. They'll host the JAX Classic presented by Jacksonville Marriott, with Presbyterian College, the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, and the University of Illinois-Chicago on the docket.
