TAMPA, Fla. – Opening the season at the USF Tournament, Jacksonville University volleyball battled Stony Brook and South Florida to five-set marathons to open the season. Though they came from behind in both matches to force a deciding set, the Dolphins were unable to close out either tiebreaker Friday afternoon at The Corral.
"We battled hard today. We are a young team and five set matches are always mentally tough," stated first year head coach Evan Muys. "That fifth set is a sprint, and experience is always a factor. We got better today; we played some good teams a fell a little short. I'm excited to see how we compete tomorrow."
vs. Stony Brook
Jacksonville came back from two sets down, 25-14, 25-20, against the Stony Brook in the day's opener. However, the Dolphins would not go down without a fight and handily won set three, 25-19, before using a 9-1 run in the fourth set to erase a three point deficit en route to a 25-22 win to force the deciding game. Tied up at 3-3, the momentum shifted to the Seawolves with a 9-1 run of their own to put the final set out of reach, 15-6.
The Dolphins were led by junior Mallory Mattingly's 13 kills, while sophomore Hannah Marchand hit .500 (11-22) with a team-high three blocks. Graduate student Sara Dyslin also recorded double-digit kills with 11, while fellow newcomer Hailey Devlin added eight.
Senior Lauren Petersen finished the match with 46 assists, while sophomore Natalie Wehner led the team with 13 digs.
Stony Brook's Emily Costello finished the match with a double-double behind 17 kills and 16 digs, while Maria Poole added 10 kills and five blocks.
vs. USF
After a late run in the first set lifted the Bulls to a 25-18 win, Jacksonville rebounded in sets two and three, 25-22, 25-23, for an early lead.
Jacksonville dominated the third set from the beginning with a 7-2 lead before the Bulls called for a timeout. Though the hosts scored four of the next five points out of the break to come within two, 8-6, the Dolphins saw superb service from Petersen, who led the Dolphins on a 9-0 run to extend their lead to 17-6. The home court advantage proved fruitful for the Bulls, however, and USF was able to put away the next 12 points for an 18-17 lead. Not to be deterred, the Dolphins won the next three points and never looked back for the set win.
A 6-2 run by South Florida to close out game four, 25-21, forced the Dolphins to a fifth set for the second time today. Down three, 11-7, Jacksonville won four of the next five points to come within one, 12-11, but the Bulls were able to find the next three points and steal the win, 15-11.
Recording the season's first double-doubles for the Dolphins, Mattingly (18 kills, 15 digs) and Petersen (48 assists, 11 digs) shined against the host Bulls. Dyslin (15 kills), freshman Giao Huynh (11 kills), and Marchand (10 kills) all posted double-digit kills in the marathon match, while Wehner added a season-high 17 digs.
The Dolphins return to action tomorrow when they take on San Jose State at 11 a.m.
