NEWARK, N.J. – Coming off a big home sweep this Friday, the Jacksonville University volleyball team kept its momentum rolling with a 3-0 victory at NJIT, Sunday afternoon at NJIT Health and Wellness Center.

"It was an all-around team W today," commented head coach Evan Muys following the win. "We had multiple people with double-digit kills and digs. Everyone came to play today, and we are excited for a huge match at UNF this week!"

Fueling the Dolphins' offense, which hit .283 in the match, freshmen Lexi Wierzbicki and Sydney Bolding combined for 21 kills and hit .474 and .471, respectively. Wierzbicki (3 blocks) and Bolding (4 blocks) also played a major role at the net stopping NJIT's offensive efforts.

With a double-double of 14 kills and 10 digs, plus a match-high five blocks, senior Mallory Mattingly earned Hodges Mazda Player of the Game.
 

The opening set was a back-and-forth battle and just one point separated the teams down the stretch with JU holding a 21-20 lead. With a pair of kills from Bolding and an ace from Mattingly, the Dolphins shut the door on the set with a kill from freshman Lindsey Grossman for a 25-20 win.

Jacksonville (9-18, 5-8 ASUN) showed no sign of slowing down as the green and white immediately raced to an 8-2 lead in the second set. Though the Highlanders worked to chip away at JU's lead, the Dolphins kept at least a three-point advantage throughout and notched the final three points of the set, 25-19.

The third set proved challenging early on as NJIT (1-27, 0-12 ASUN) sparked a 5-2 run out of the gate to pressure JU. A 6-4 rally brought Jacksonville back within one before a kill from freshman Madison Dagenhart tied the set at 11. Bolding then combined with both Mattingly and Dagenhart to put up back-to-back blocks and give the Dolphins a 13-11 lead – one that they would not relinquish the rest of the set.

Behind superb service from freshman Addyson Lewis, the Dolphins extended their lead to 17-12, before a four-point Highlander run brought the hosts within three, 20-17. JU quickly refocused with a 5-1 run to close out the set as kills from Wierzbicki sandwiched an ace from Grossman for the 25-18 win.

Dagenhart and sophomore Natalie Martin posted 18 and 17 assists, respectively, while Grossman and Lewis served up a pair of aces each. Defensively, senior Natalie Wehner recorded a game-high 24 digs while Grossman also tallied 10 digs.

The Dolphins return to action on Friday, Nov. 8 when they head to crosstown rival North Florida for a meeting at 7 p.m.