CARROLLTON, GA --The Jacksonville Volleyball team fought back from a 2-0 hole to record a comeback 3-2 victory (13-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 15-9) against the West Georgia Wolves Friday night.
The Dolphins offense was paced by Breanna McDonough, who finished with 26 kills on the day. Haley Yount added 10 and Claire Mrukowski chipped in with 10 as part of balanced Jacksonville attack. Defensively, JU had three players reach double figures in digs, including Kristina Nika's 18, 15 from Ana Tobar, and 13 more from Emily Hodsdon. From the front row, Yount contributed six blocks and Hodsdon added six rejections.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Dolphins fell behind early, losing a tough first set 25-13. Jacksonville trailed by as many as 12 points as West Georgia never surrendered the lead in a set that was tied up just once before the Wolves took control.
SET 2 | A 25-23 set-two loss put Jacksonville behind 2-0 in the match. The Dolphins came up short in a back-and-forth set that featured eight lead changes and was tied 11 times. Neither team led by more than four points along the way.
SET 3 | Jacksonville got on the board after a win in set three to make it a 2-1 match. The Dolphins led from the opening point on in the set to earn a 25-19 victory. JU opened up as much as an eight point lead at 24-16 before closing out the set. Jacksonville's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four West Georgia attacks in the set.
SET 4 | Jacksonville continued their comeback, winning the fourth set 25-18 to bring the match level at two sets apiece. The Dolphins grabbed control of the set at 4-3 and held the lead the rest of the way. JUÂ led by as many as 10 points at 18-8 before finishing off the set.
SET 5 | Jacksonville went down 2-0 early, but put together an epic rally to win the next three sets, culminating in a 15-9 fifth-set victory, and take the match 3-2. The Dolphins led from the opening point on in the fifth set to secure the victory.
Game Notes
- Jacksonville had three players in double figures in kills.
- Jacksonville had three players in double figures in digs.
- Kristina Nika had a match-high three aces in the win.
- Breanna McDonough had a match-high 26 kills for Jacksonville.
- Jacksonville got a team-high 18 digs from Kristina Nika.
- Jacksonville attackers were helped by a match-high 49 assists from Emily Hodsdon.
Roth's Roundup
"Tonight was definitely a team win. Very proud of how hard we fought to come back and reverse sweep. The depth of our bench and the people ready to come in and make impact, speaks to the culture that's being built within our program." commented Head Coach Alicia Roth postgame.
Up Next:
The Jacksonville University Volleyball team is set to travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, for a match against Queens University on Sunday at 1:00 P.M. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
