DAVIDSON, N.C. – A hot start to this weekend's Wildcat Classic fizzled on the second day as the Jacksonville University volleyball team fell in a pair of matches against High Point, 3-1, and Wofford, 3-1, Saturday at Baker Sports Complex on the campus of Davidson College. Freshman Lexi Wierzbicki earned All-Tournament Team honors for the Dolphins, who defeated the tournament host Wildcats yesterday evening. Wierzbicki also earned Hodges Mazda Player of the Game honors for the weekend.
 

"We knew this was going to be a tough tournament for us – probably the toughest pre-conference tournament of the season. We had some really strong performances by a few individuals, but we need to be able to tie it together as a team," commented head coach Evan Muys following the JU-Wofford match. "There aren't many team sports out there like volleyball, and everyone needs to be on for us to be successful."

Though the Dolphins are just 3-10 on the year, two of those losses came in five sets and Jacksonville won a set in all but one of the remaining five matches – showing they can battle with anyone on the court when healthy.

Added Muys, "We're excited to open up conference play at home on Tuesday. It's the start of a new season for us, and we've already made so much progress this fall. We're excited to reset and get into conference!"

vs. High Point
Opening the match with a win in the first set, the Dolphins looked poised to run past the Panthers. However, JU's spark dimmed with each set as High Point took the next three sets for the match, 3-1.

Jacksonville dominated the opening set as a four-point run gave the Dolphins momentum to hold High Point at bay. Never trailing after taking a 9-6 lead during that run, the Dolphins used a second 4-0 run down the stretch with kills from freshman Sydney Bolding, senior Mallory Mattingly, and junior Briana Kipp to extend JU's lead to 19-12. The Panthers worked to chip at the Dolphins' lead, but Jacksonville never waved, 25-18.

After opening the second set with a 3-1 lead, the Dolphins found themselves in a two-point deficit, 8-6. Beginning with a Panther attack error, Jacksonville raced ahead with a five-point rally to force High Point into a timeout. The timeout proved beneficial for HPU as they came out with a 6-0 streak to regain the lead, 14-11. Neither team managed more than two points until the final three fell in favor of the Panthers to tie the match, 25-21.

Continuing that momentum, High Point posted back-to-back four-point runs to command the third set, 8-2. Jacksonville worked to climb back and came within five, 18-13, but the opening run was too great as High Point took a 2-1 lead behind set three's 25-17 win.

The fourth was much of the same as High Point seemed unstoppable en route to an 11-3 lead. A kill from Kipp stopped the carnage, but the Dolphins were unable to recover, 25-12.

Kipp and freshman Lexi Wierzbicki each recorded nine kills, while Bolding and Wierzbicki posted three blocks apiece. Mattingly and senior Natalie Wehner led the team with 12 kills and 16 digs, respectively, while sophomore Natalie Martin added 30 assists in the effort.

vs. Wofford
The nightcap proved more evenly-matched as the opening set went extra points and two of the next three games were decided by three points. All-Tournament Team selection Wierzbicki led the team with 16 kills and two blocks and hit .375 (16-4-32) on the day. Both Mattingly (13 kills, 13 digs) and Martin (37 assists, 11 digs) added double-double performances to close the day.

Down 6-2 early in the first set, the Dolphins rallied back with a four-point run to tie things up. A 6-2 run allowed Wofford to pull ahead, and despite the Dolphins battling back to tie things at 15, the Terriers (7-7) ran out to a 21-18 lead. Following a Dolphin timeout, Jacksonville answered with a 5-1 run to regain the lead and momentum, 23-21. Pushing Wofford to extra points, six of the final eight went to the Terriers to take the opener, 27-25.

Battling back from the brink of a sweep after Wofford led from wire to wire for a 25-15 win in set two, Jacksonville answered with a pair of decisive five-point runs in the third set to maintain control. With a 15-11 advantage, the Dolphins held the Terriers off despite a 4-1 rally that brought Wofford within one, 22-21. Using both timeouts in the final four points, the Dolphins held on for a 25-22 win.

Jacksonville fought early in the fourth and managed to tie the set at 12. However, the Terriers survived the Dolphins' resistance and did not allow JU to take the lead behind an identical 25-22 score.

Bolding added eight kills and three blocks against the Terriers, while sophomore Lindsey Grossman added seven kills and seven digs. Wehner notched a match-high 18 digs in the effort.

Jacksonville has a quick turnaround as the Dolphins welcome Stetson to Historic Swisher Gym for the teams' ASUN Conference opener on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.