ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.- Jacksonville Beach Volleyball traveled to St. Petersburg this weekend to play in the Battle of the Bay invitational. The Dolphins successfully swept their way through the weekend, winning in every matchup they faced. This weekend was also filled with a lot of historic accomplishments achieved by multiple Dolphins.
On Friday, Jacksonville took on host Eckerd in the morning duel and won all five matchups, with four of the five pairings winning in two sets. Out of 11 total sets, the Dolphins won eight of them by 5+ points. In the afternoon dual JU faced off against Saint Leo. Ones pairing, Anna Erickson and Olivia Szyszkiewicz found victory in three sets, winning their third set in clutch fashion by a score of 17-15. Emily Kubicsko/Jenna McNamara (twos), Claire Mrukowski/Kristina Nika (fours) and Miller Reams/Skye Tiedmann (fives) all were victorious as well in the duel against the Lions.
On Saturday, Jacksonville started off the day with Missouri State. Emily Kubicsko/Jenna McNamara (twos) and Claire Mrukowski/Kristina Nika (fours) won in two sets, while one's pair Anna Erickson/Olivia Szyszkiewicz won in three sets. The duo won their first set in dramatic fashion, winning a tight set, 21 to 19. Erickson and Szyszkiewicz lost a bit of momentum, losing the second set, but came through and finished the match, winning the third set 15-8. This victory gave Jacksonville advantage in the duel, giving them the win with a score of 3 to 2 Dolphins. In their last matchup, Jacksonville faced off against Palm Beach Atlantic, and would come out victorious in a 5 -0 sweep of the duel, with four out of the five matches being decided in two sets.
Jacksonville sixes pairs (Skye Tiedmann/Miller Reames, Hayden Garnett/Rachel Hess, Amanda Cunningham/Rachel Hess, Kelly Erhard/Hayden Garnett) all won their respective matchups in each duel.
In this weekend numerous Jacksonville Beach Volleyball records were broken, including Emily Kubicsko, who is now second all-time on the career wins list. Her partner, Jenna McNamara earned her way to third all-time on the career wins list. With four wins this weekend, Kristina Nika is now the career wins leader in the fours pairing.
Up Next
The Dolphins will be traveling to Deland this upcoming weekend, where they will take on Stetson and College of Charleston on Friday. On Saturday Jacksonville faces off with North Alabama and University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW).
