JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University volleyball hosted day one of the Dolphin Classic presented by Hampton Inn East Regency on Friday.
 
The Dolphins fell 3-1 to Furman to open the day and dropped the nightcap in five sets to LIU in Swisher Gym.
 
MATCH ONE
 
JU got off to another strong start, taking set one vs. the Paladins, 25-16. Neither side led by more than one until Cami Kelsay, Camryn Honn and Brianna Jackson registered three consecutive kills. Furman rallied to tie it at eight when Kyndaal Stansberry added a kill to give the Dolphins the lead again. JU maintained the lead the rest of the way, separating when they went on a 3-0 run, highlighted by two Keyauna Linwood kills. After a Furman timeout, JU ended the set on an 8-2 run, ending it with Jackson and Stansberry kills.
 
Set two was tight throughout, with neither team leading by more than two until late. Jacksonville took its first lead 9-8 on a Kelsay kill and she followed it up with another kill immediately after. The back-and-forth nature continued until Furman took a 15-14 lead on a service error and built the largest lead of the set, 21-17, then 23-19 before JU rallied. Brianna Jackson had a kill and two straight attacking errors by Furman brought the Dolphins within one, but they were never able to tie it, and the Paladins took the set 25-23.
 
JU took an early lead in set three, but couldn't hold it. It was 3-1 after an Isa Dostal kill and two errors, but Furman went on an 8-1 run to establish a lead it would not relinquish. JU got as close as three when Jackson collected another kill to make it 9-6 Furman, but the Paladins pulled away to win 25-16.
 
Set four started close, but Furman scored 10 of the first 15 points and finished the set on a 15-7 run to win the match 3-1.
 
Kelsay and Jackson led the team with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Honn had 27 assists and Kariana Ayala had a team-best 14 digs, with Gyrani Rogers adding 10 of her own.
 
MATCH TWO
 
The last match of the day started with a bang and went the distance. JU opened strong, scoring four of the first five points, with a pair of aces by Kelsay, and an ace from Ayala. LIU rallied to tie it at five, and it stayed tight throughout. Dostal had a couple of kills to give the Dolphins a two-point leads, 8-6 and 10-8, and Kelsay rattled off two in a row to push it to 12-9. The lead climbed to as many as three for JU multiple times, but it was tied at 20 and set of for a real back-and-forth finish. The Dolphins managed to avoid dropping the lead, but LIU tied it nine times and forced a marathon set. Finally, Kelsay got her 11th kill of the set, and an attack error ended, 32-30.
 
LIU took a 3-2 lead in set two, and never looked back, leading by as many nine multiple times through the set. JU scored four of the last six points, but it was not enough, with the Sharks tying the match at one, 25-18.
 
After trailing early in set three, JU found its footing to tie the set at six on an Ayala ace, and again at eight on an attack error. That fueled a 9-1 run that featured four more Kelsay kills, and JU led 14-9 when she tacked on an ace. That set the tone for the rest of the set, with a Barbora Romancova kill ending it, 25-19.
 
LIU again had an answer in set four, taking an early lead, then falling behind 10-6 when Jackson delivered a kill for JU. The Sharks tied it at 10, took the lead, and lost it again on an attack error and consecutive service aces from Addyson Lewis to put the Dolphins in front 16-13. JU's lead was 19-15, when LIU called timeout and came out refreshed. The Sharks scores 10 of the last 14 points to win the set 25-23.
 
In the decisive set five, JU led 4-2 early, with Stansberry and Dostal had consecutive kills, but LIU tied it at four the lead changed five times before the Sharks took a 9-8 advantage it never rescinded. A late rally for JU fell short, as the Dolphins scored four of the last six, ultimately falling 15-12.
 
Kelsay again led the team with 19 kills, with Autumn DeSantis adding 13. Honn had 59 assists, Ayala had 19 digs with Rogers chipping in 10 and Romancova knocking down a team-best four block assists.