JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University volleyball made the most of its first home match in over a month, rolling to a 3-0 sweep of Queens on Friday night in Swisher Gymnasium.
 
The Dolphins (4-13, 1-4) separated late in the last two competitive sets to earn its first Atlantic Sun win of the season.
 
SET ONE
 
A 6-0 run for the Dolphins helped flip the score early in the set, with the Dolphins going from trailing 9-8 to leading 14-9 before the Royals were able to stem the tide. Anna Erickson had three kills over that stretch to lead JU. The Dolphins were not slowed for long, scoring five-straight again immediately after to go up 19-10. Alija Heins and Erickson both had kills, and Claire Mrukowski tacked on an ace. JU got to 20 first, thanks to yet another kill by Erickson, forcing Queens to use its second timeout.
 
Out of the break, the Royals scored three in a row to cut the deficit to six, 20-14, but Erickson, Lyric Love and Barbora Hošková helped JU score three of the next four and Heins and Jenna McNamara went back-to-back soon after to deliver the 25-16 set win for the Dolphins to open the match.
 
SET TWO
 
Queens took advantage of an early 3-0 run to go up 8-6, but JU got kills by McNamara and Erickson to stay within striking distance. The scoring was so back-and-forth, that after Queens led 10-8, neither team could garner any breathing room, with the set staying within one point until late. JU managed to retake the lead for the first time since the opening moments of the set, with Hošková and Heins scoring back-to-back kills before the media timeout to go up 15-14.
 
JU finally gained a multi-point advantage, using two kills by Heins to go up 19-17, but Queens quickly responded to tie things at 19. Two-straight points scored by the Dolphins put them in position, up 21-19. Love added two more kills and McNamara another, before Kristina Nika closed out the set with an ace, a 25-21 win to go up 2-0 in the match.
 
SET THREE
 
JU opened the final set scoring the first three, but Queens quickly rallied to tie. The score went back-and-forth, as another close set broke out, with neither side able to create any separation. Queens went up 17-15, but Heins and McNamara answered back to tie it at 17. After Queens scored the next point to go back in front, the Dolphins got a huge 3-0 spurt, capped by another kill from Heins.
 
Out of a called timeout, the Royals cut it to one again, 20-19. Erickson punched home a big kill to push the advantage back to two. Queens did not go down without a fight, scoring two-straight to tie it again at 21, then after Erickson pushed the Dolphins in front again, tied it once more at 22. A critical service error by the Royals and a punishing kill by Love set up match point, and a long rally with several dynamic saves by JU led to an attack error by Queens to end it, with the final set 25-23 to complete the sweep.
 
COACH'S COMMENTS

 

UP NEXT
 
Jacksonville hosts Kennesaw State on Saturday night at Swisher Gymasium, with the match scheduled to start at 5 p.m. and airing on ESPN+.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
 

• Anna Erickson led the way in scoring for JU again, collecting 17 total kills, her 12th match in double-digit kills this season and her fifth-straight
• Alija Heins had 11 kills, her sixth match in double-figures and third in a row
• Rebecca Rocassin dished out 44 assists, her most in a three-set match this season
• The Dolphins finished the match hitting .391, the highest percentage of the season