GAINESVILLE, Fla. – What looked like an historic day for the Jacksonville University volleyball team – winning the opening set against the 2017 National Runners-Up and a Dolphin closing in on a program single-match record – came up just short Friday afternoon at the Gator Invitational. The Dolphins took the opening set against No. 11 Florida in a 3-1 loss to last year's NCAA Tournament finalists, and later in the day dropped the nightcap to Army by the same score despite a nearing the program's single-match record for service aces.
Sophomore Hannah Marchand recorded six service aces against the Black Knights – just one shy of matching the program's single-match record in four sets.
"It's always fun to play against one of the best teams in the country and with Florida being the National Runner-Up last year, we were hyped to get on the court with them," stated head coach Evan Muys. "We're going to continue playing tomorrow in the last day of the tournament and final match before conference play starts."
vs. No. 11 Florida
The Dolphins (1-10) ran out on an impressive rally down the final stretch of the opening set and scored eight of the final nine points to erase a five-point deficit to take an early lead against the tournament host Gators, 25-22. During that final run, graduate student Hailey Devlin recorded a pair of kills and aided on a block with Marchand to power Jacksonville past Florida and shock the 2017 NCAA Tournament runners-up.
With momentum in their favor heading into the second set, the Dolphins battled to within two, 9-7, before Florida (7-3) countered with a 5-0 run to distance themselves, 14-7. Jacksonville found three of the next five points on kills from Marchand and junior Mallory Mattingly, but the Gators used another 4-0 run to surge ahead, 20-10. Three more points swung in the Dolphins' favor at game point, but Florida evened up the match with a 25-15 win.
Jacksonville rebounded with a 5-2 lead to open the third and force the Gators to call for a timeout. As the Dolphins continue to forge ahead with a 12-9 advantage, Florida seemed to find its footing behind an 11-0 run to put the set out of reach and take a one-game lead, 25-14.
The hosts picked up where they left off with a 10-3 lead and later, a 7-2 run to bring the set two away from match point, 23-9. Not to be deterred, the Dolphins took four of the next six points, but it wasn't enough as Florida took the set and match, 25-13.
Mattingly led the Dolphins with 13 kills and six digs, while Devlin added seven kills and six digs. Senior Lauren Petersen recorded a match-high 26 assists and Marchand added three blocks in the effort.
vs. Army West Point
The opening set of the nightcap was controlled by Army early on, 8-3. Jacksonville, however, steadily chipped away at the lead and brought the set within two, 14-12, but it was a 7-2 run that put the opener out of the Dolphins' reach, 25-15.
It didn't take long for the Dolphins to recover and the comeback 'Phins opened game two with a 5-1 advantage. As JU controlled much of the set and held the Black Knights at 17-17, the Dolphins used a late 5-1 run – including back-to-back-to-back aces from Marchand from the service line – to surge themselves to set point, 24-22. Though Army (5-10) threatened to steal the game with ties at 24, 25, and 26, back-to-back kills from JU's graduate students Sara Dyslin and Devlin allowed the Dolphins to tie the match up, 28-26.
Tied at 5-5 in the third, Jacksonville went on a 7-0 run for a sizeable 11-5 advantage. Army answered back with its own 9-0 rally to take a 14-11 lead. Later in the set, the Dolphins challenged a call that initially was awarded to the Black Knights with the last touch on Jacksonville, but the call reversal boosted the Dolphins' momentum with a 4-1 run that tied the game at 17-17. A 4-0 run put the game in favor of the Black Knights and Army closed out the set with four of the last five points to take a 2-1 lead, 25-20.
Marchand recorded her fifth and sixth service aces in the final set; both brought JU within one point of Army – at 9-8 and later at 20-19. However, six of the final seven points, along with the match, fell in favor of the Black Knights, 25-21.
Mattingly and Dyslin accounted for 29 of the Dolphins' 48 kills with 14 and 15, respectively. Petersen finished with a match-high 38 assists, while she and the juniorduo of Natalie Wehner and Morgan Dees all recorded eight digs each.
The Dolphins close out the Gator Invitational tomorrow when they take on Florida International at 5 p.m.
