CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Jacksonville University volleyball took Austin Peay to five sets on the road Saturday night, before ultimately succumbing to the Governors in an extended final set at the Winfield Dunn Center.
 
The Dolphins (3-13, 0-4) battled back from down 0-1 and 1-2 in the match, but could not put it away late in the fifth.
 
SET ONE
 
Austin Peay took an early three-point lead, to which JU responded with a 5-0 run to go up by two, 9-7. Lyric Love and Barbora Hošková both had kills in that stretch. The two teams traded points until Lauren Nelson and Alija Heins scored back-to-back kills and Kariana Ayala-Drew had an ace to cap a 3-0 run to go up 14-12.
 
The largest lead of the set for the Dolphins came after Love and Nelson had two kills in a 3-0 stretch, part of a greater 5-1 run to go up 20-16. The Governors cut it to one with a 3-0 run of their own, when another Heins kill pushed the lead back to two. After APSU tied it at 22, Nelson added another kill to give JU the lead one more time, but three-straight scored by the Governors gave them the 25-23 set victory.
 
SET TWO
 
After Austin Peay scored the first point of the set, JU scored five-straight, getting kills from Heins and Erickson, with the two combining for a block as well. The advantage grew to 7-3 when Rebecca Rocassin scored a kill, but APSU roared back to cut it to one. The Dolphins managed to keep the Governors at bay, with Nelson adding a pair of kills and Heins, Love and Hošková all tacking on ones of their own.
 
Erickson registered a solo block to make it 20-17, kick-starting a 4-0 run for JU that was all Erickson, as she added two more kills herself. APSU tried to climb back into it, but appropriately, Erickson finished it off, scoring the last five points total for the Dolphins to capture the set 25-20 and even the match at one.
 
SET THREE
 
Austin Peay scored the first five points of the set, but JU was able to settle in and draw within two, 9-7, thanks to a service ace by Kristina Nika, sandwiched between kills by Love and Heins. The Governors scored the next three, but a 5-1 run by the Dolphins, fueled in part by a block and an ace scored by Rocassin, brought JU within one, 14-13.
 
The lead grew back to four, 17-13, for APSU, then grew to 20-15. A pair of late kills by Love cut it to 24-21, but the Governors retook the match lead, 2-1, with a 25-21 set win.
 
SET FOUR
 
Needing a win to keep the match alive, JU got off to a strong start, scoring five-straight with kills by Heins, Rocassin and Jenna McNamara, with Hošková also scoring an ace to make it 8-3 in the opening moments. APSU rallied to tie it at nine, but Erickson gave the Dolphins the lead back quickly. The Governors regained the lead, 15-14, but the Dolphins battled back. An Erickson kill and ace by Rocassin back-to-back were part of a 3-0 run to go up 21-18. Hošková and McNamara kills gave JU the 23-20 lead and an attack error made it set point for the Dolphins. The Governors rallied to tie the set at 24, but Hošková ended it emphatically, with a kill and an ace to give JU the 26-24 win to force a fifth set.
 
SET FIVE
 
McNamara scored the first point of the final set with a kill, but the Governors answered by scoring the next three, and five of the next six. JU chipped away, getting a pair of kills by Erickson to help the Dolphins erase the three-point deficit and tie the set at seven. It went back-and-forth, with the two teams trading the lead and tying it up again five more times, before Erickson and McNamara landed consecutive kills to give JU the 14-12 advantage and force match point.
 
It was far from over though, as APSU came out of a timeout and scored three-straight, taking the lead themselves 15-14, and having their own chances at match point. A McNamara kill followed by an ace by Nika put JU back in front, 16-15. The Governors tied it, but McNamara scored another to put the Dolphins back in front once more. APSU seized the momentum and rolled to score the final three points, taking the final set 19-17 to win the match.
 
UP NEXT
 
JU finally returns to Swisher Gymnasium to play Queens next Friday night at 7 p.m. in its Atlantic Sun Conference home opener, five matches in to the conference slate.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
 

• Anna Erickson tallied a season-high 18 kills, reaching the 1,000-kill milestone for her career
• She was joined in double-figure kills by three other Dolphins, McNamara (13), Love (11) and Heins (10)
• Rebecca Rocassin totaled a season-high 57 assists, her third-time she has had 50 or more in a match this season and the seventh time in her career
• Kristina Nika had her third match with 20 or more digs, collecting 20 tonight