MIAMI – Jacksonville University volleyball dropped two matches on Saturday to conclude the 305 Challenge.
 
The Dolphins (3-9) fell in three to Indiana at FIU, then traveled to Coral Gables, with Miami prevailing in three sets in the nightcap.
 
MATCH ONE
 
Indiana led 10-6 early in the first set, with Jenna McNamara and Alija Heins picking up kills to help JU keep it tight. Anna Erickson and Myah Robinson scored back-to-back points, and the Dolphins were within three, 15-12. Trailing by five later in the set, Lyric Love and Rebecca Rocassin combined for a block, which sparked a 6-0 run that put JU in front 19-18. Love was part of three blocks and scored a kill in that stretch. IU came back and scored the next five points to go up 23-19, and finished off the opening set three points later.
 
Rocassin dropped in an ace early in the second set to tie things at six. After that, the Hoosiers scored six of the next seven points to take a 12-7 lead. JU chipped away, with Heins, Erickson and Love recording kills. Love also added another block, with McNamara assisting her, to cut it to 14-12. With IU up by four a few moments later, McNamara registered a kill, and the Dolphins got within two again. The Hoosiers bore down late, ending the second set on a 7-1 run to go up 2-0 in the match.
 
Love started the third set with a kill, jumpstarting a 4-0 run to start, with JU going up 6-1 thanks to a pair of aces by Callie Kasun and a kill by Erickson. The Dolphins weathered a run by IU, and maintained the lead, getting a kill by Robinson to make it 9-7, Love totaling three kills in a row for JU, the last one breaking a 12-all tie. She then registered another block to start a 3-0 run that ended with a kill by Heins and gave JU a 16-13 lead. Five different Dolphins scored the next five points for the Dolphins, growing the lead to 21-17. IU dug deep, scoring eight of the final nine points of the set to win the match 3-0.
 
MATCH TWO
 
JU went across town to Coral Gables to face Miami at the Knight Complex. The two teams traded the lead six times in the opening couple of minutes, when in the process of the Hurricanes taking an 8-7 lead, a UM player went down with an injury that led to an extended delay in the match. Once play resumed, Miami built the largest lead of the set to that point, scoring three-straight to go up 13-9. JU fought back, but the Hurricanes maintained a lead of at least two as the set advanced. Jenna McNamara got a kill to get JU within one, 18-17, but Miami then scored the next three. Again, the Dolphins worked within one, after Rebecca Rocassin and Lyric Love scored back-to-back kills to make it 22-21. UM then scored the final three points on the set, taking the opener 25-21.
 
The Dolphins got off to a great start in the second set, leading 4-1 on a McNamara kill. The lead grew to six when Myah Robinson and Alija Heins combined for a block to make it 9-3. Miami briefly cut the deficit to four, but Love came alive with three kills in a stretch that pushed the JU advantage to 15-8. It was 16-9 JU, when Miami scored four in a row to trim it to three. Robinson had another kill and an error by the Hurricanes saw JU hit 20 first, leading 21-15. A 7-0 run by UM gave them its first lead of the set, 22-21, but JU fought back, tying it at 22 on a kill by Love, 23 and 24 with kills by McNamara, but Miami ended up winning 26-24 to go up 2-0.
 
Miami took an early lead in the final set, but JU climbed within one, when Anna Erickson got it to 9-8. Four-straight for the Hurricanes grew the lead to 13-8, and the Dolphins used kills by Heins and Erickson to try and keep pace. Kristina Nika registered consecutive service aces to get JU within five late, but Miami prevailed 25-18 and took the match in three.
 
UP NEXT
 
JU opens up Atlantic Sun Conference play next Friday night at FGCU at 7 p.m.
 
NOTABLE NUMBERS
 

• Jenna McNamara totaled 17 kills on the day to pace the Dolphins, including 11 against Miami, her third double-digit kill effort of the season
• Lyric Love had 10 total denials at the net in the two matches
• Rebecca Rocassin had 57 assists on the day
• Kristina Nika matched her career-high with three aces against Miami, matching her three against Idaho last season