MACON, Ga. – Jacksonville University volleyball picked up its first win of the 2018 season and split on the opening day of the Mercer Bears Classic, Friday afternoon. The Dolphins (1-6) fell, 3-1, in the day's opener to UT Martin (5-3), but bounced back with a 3-0 sweep of Alabama A&M (3-7) to give head coach Evan Muys his first career win.
Sophomore Hannah Marchand totaled 25 kills and 11 blocks on the day, including a career-high 14 kills and seven blocks, with three solo, against UT Martin. Additionally, junior Mallory Mattingly recorded her fifth and sixth matches with double-digit kills, while freshman Giao Huynh and senior Lauren Petersen combined for nine block assists against the Alabama A&M.
"I loved the way we rebounded after the first match of the day," said Muys following the Dolphins' win. "Hannah had an amazing day and Giao turned it on for the second match of the day. Our middles solidified us both blocking and offensively, and the rest of the team really jumped on board with how they were playing."
vs. UT Martin
Jacksonville kept the first game tied up through the first 16 points at 8-8, but a 7-2 UT Martin rally through the middle part of the set to hold off the Dolphins, 25-18.
It didn't take long for Jacksonville to regain its momentum as the Dolphins opened set two with a commanding 6-2 lead. The Skyhawks threatened and pulled within one on two occasions, but the Dolphins curbed a late four-point run and hit .242 in the set to even the match up, 25-22.
Comeback runs and both teams hitting above .300 highlighted the third set as the Dolphins erased an early 6-2 deficit with fury. Marchand lit up the opposing defense with a pair of blocks and a kill, while graduate student Hailey Devlin added an ace from the service line to lead the Dolphins' 4-0 rally en route to a .310 hitting percentage. Facing its second deficit of the set, 13-10, Jacksonville posted five-straight points and forced the Skyhawks to call a timeout. However, UT Martin countered with a 4-0 rally of their own to regain the lead, 17-15. A late three-point Dolphin rally brought the game within two, 24-22, but UT Martin closed out the set, 25-22.
A pair of runs bookended the final set as the Dolphins found themselves down 7-0 to start the fourth game. Jacksonville rallied back on a 5-2 run to come within four, 9-5, and added a second 5-3 run later, but UT Martin put the match away on a 5-0 run, 25-16.
Marchand led the team with career high in kills (14) and blocks (7), including three solo, while Mattingly added 12 kills for her sixth double-digit kill performance on the year. Petersen totaled 32 assists, while junior Natalie Wehner led the Dolphins with 14 digs.
vs. Alabama A&M
The Dolphins controlled the match against the Lady Bulldogs and hit .379 in the second set – their highest single-set hitting percentage of the season – en route to a 3-0 sweep and their first victory of the season.
The Dolphins used a 5-0 run through the middle of the set to tie things up, 14-14. Though the Lady Bulldogs persisted and led 22-21, Jacksonville closed out the set on a 4-0 rally to win, 25-22.
Game two played out in similar fashion as the Dolphins rallied with a 4-1 run to turn a three-point deficit into a 15-15 deadlock. Jacksonville against faced an uphill battle down the stretch as Alabama A&M led 21-19, but the Dolphins mounted a 5-0 run to bring the game to set point, 24-21. Though the Lady Bulldogs tried to find a late rally with two points to pressure the Dolphins, Marchand put the game away with a monster kill seal the game for Jacksonville, 25-23.
The final set was all Jacksonville as the Dolphins leapt out to a 6-0 lead and never looked back. JU's defense kept the pressure on the Lady Bulldogs and held Alabama A&M from stringing together more than just two points en route to a sweep, 25-21.
Marchand, Mattingly, and Huynh posted 11 kills each in the effort, while Marchand (1 solo, 3 block assists) and Huynh (5 block assists) combined for nine blocks. Petersen also had a day behind 29 assists, four blocks, and a pair of service aces, while junior Tori Reiser led the way with four service aces and Wehner posted a team-high eight digs.
The Dolphins return to action tomorrow, Sept. 8 when they close out the Mercer Bears Classic against the hosts at 1 p.m.
