JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It was all heart on the court tonight as the Jacksonville University volleyball team continued to battle in the face of adversity, but ultimately vanquished its weekend finale with a 3-0 decision to Liberty, Saturday evening at Swisher Gymnasium.

Paced by junior Mallory Mattingly's 14 kills and fifth-year senior Sara Dyslin's trio of service aces, the Dolphins rallied back from a 25-12 loss in the opening set and used a barrage of instinctual and drawn-up plays to stay in the match.

Down 20-14 in the second set, Jacksonville (1-14, 0-3 ASUN) used a 3-1 run to claw its way back into the set and traded points with Liberty (5-10, 2-0 ASUN) down the stretch before the Flames held off the Dolphins, 25-20.

The third set saw a spark with back-to-back points on a service ace from sophomore Hannah Marchand and a solo block from Mattingly before Liberty rattled of six points in a row. Not to be deterred, the Dolphins took six of the next eight points to come within one, 9-8, and eventually tied the set at 15-15. A 5-0 run from the Flames seemed to put the set out of reach, but Jacksonville kept its foot on the gas with a 6-1 run to deadlock the set once more at 21-21. Liberty managed four of the next five points, however, to seal its win, 25-22.

Dyslin finished the match with eight kills and two solo blocks, while junior Natalie Wehner led the team with eight digs. Freshman Natalie Martin added a career-high 25 assists in the effort.

Casey Goodwin and Jenna Culhan led Liberty with 13 and 12 kills, respectively, while Payton Carter added 11 digs for the Flames.

The Dolphins hit the road for the 2018-19 River City Rumble opener next Tuesday, Sept. 25 at North Florida; first serve is set for 7 p.m.