MIAMI – Jacksonville University volleyball fell in three sets to FIU on Friday morning at the Ocean Bank Convention Center.
The Dolphins (3-7) battled tight in two sets, but fell short in the first match of the 305 Challenge.
SET ONE
A tight start saw the two sides tied multiple times early, including at 8-8 after 16 points. From there, FIU used a 4-0 run to take the biggest lead to that point in the set. The Dolphins got one back to cut it to two, 11-9, but the Panthers immediately answered with another run, this one 5-0. After a timeout, JU came back refreshed, and scored five of the next six points, thanks to kills by
Lyric Love and
Anna Erickson, and then consecutive points scored by
Rebecca Rocassin, when she scored a kill and a service ace to make it only a two-point deficit again, 16-14. The Dolphins could get no closer the remainder of the set, and despite turning away set point three times in a row at the end, fell 25-19 to open the match.
SET TWO
FIU got off to a hot start in the second set, riding an early 5-0 run to a 6-2 advantage. JU climbed back into things with a 4-0 run of its own, with Barbora Hošková collecting a pair of kills to help tie things at seven. A 3-0 run put JU up 11-9, capped by a combo block with Rocassin and Love and FIU capped a timeout. The Panthers came out of the break scoring five of six and took a 14-12 lead.
JU battled back, getting a kill from
Alija Heins and an ace by
Kariana Ayala-Drew to tie things at 15, and it stayed tight after that. There were two more ties and two more lead changes, until FIU hit the gas after tying it at 18, scoring five straight. A 3-0 run with kills by Love and Erickson brought the Dolphins within one, 23-22, but the Panthers scored two straight to win the set, and take a 2-0 match lead.
SET THREE
JU started the third set strong, going up 2-0, then 4-2 and 5-3. FIU scored the next six points to take a 9-5 lead, but
Julia de Sa scored twice in a 3-0 run to bring JU within one, 9-8. FIU grew the lead back to three, but Ayala-Drew and Erickson both had kills to cut the deficit to 14-12.
Sox of the next eight points were scored by FIU, who took a 20-14, but the Dolphins were not done yet.
Madison Clark and de Sa combined for a block and de Sa added a kill to make it 20-18, and JU had one more late push, rattling off four-straight points with a kill by Erickson and block by Heins. The comeback fell just short, as FIU won the set 25-23 to claim the match 3-0.
UP NEXT
JU continues in the 305 Challenge on Saturday morning, facing Indiana in Miami at 11 a.m., then travels to Coral Gables to battle Miami at 7 p.m.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
