JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When the final crowd pop filled the air of Swisher Gymnasium, it was a euphoric relief for a Jacksonville team waiting for a signature moment. When graduate student
Abbie Tuyo's final kill hit the court, it was time for the Dolphins to celebrate.
The Jacksonville Dolphins (10-12, 4-4 ASUN) defeated the West Florida Argonauts in a five-set battle (22-25, 25-23, 25-20, 22-25, 15-12). Freshman
Jaylyn Tuiasosopo led the Dolphins in kills for the second match in a row, finishing with 19.
Junior middle blocker
Haley Yount starred at the center of the court, finishing with 12 kills and a team-best nine blocks (two solo, seven assisted).
Set One
Tuyo was rolling early, scoring six of the Dolphins 16 kills in the first set. As a team, Jacksonville was rolling on offense, hitting .316. The back-and-forth affair saw the teams tied at 22 late in the set.
West Florida took the final three points of the set to strike the first blow in the match.
Set Two
The Dolphins rolled right back into it, taking the second set. Sophomore Kathryn Alder emerged as a weapon in the game, scoring five kills on nine swings (.555) to lead the line.
Senior setter
Jade Cuya Cobos deceived the defense with a setter dump to cut the deficit to one, 18-17. From there, on the serve of sophomore
Zoey Vandel, Jacksonville took six-straight points to blow the set away.
A furious late rally from the Argonauts cut the lead to 24-23, but Adler's fifth kill took care of business.
Set Three
The third set was the most dominant showing of the day from the Dolphins. JU outhit its opponents .312-.133 as a team. Tuiasosopo and Yount each notched four kills for an efficient Jacksonville attack.
A UWF error tied the set at 12, then four-straight Dolphin points put the hosts on the front foot. Back-to-back Argonaut errors gave Jacksonville the 2-1 lead on sets.
Set Four
Six more Tuiasosopo kills helped the Dolphins, but West Florida battled to force a fifth set. Jacksonville led 22-19 when Tuiasosopo ended a three-point Argonaut run. However, her kill couldn't slow down UWF, as it took the final five points to win the set.
Set Five
The Dolphins were ready for a fight in the fifth set and took care of business. Tuiasosopo continued to show her clutch gene, scoring four kills. It was JU's defense, though, especially from Yount that saw out the win.
Yount and Tuiasosopo soared above the net to reject a ball to put the 'Phins up 13-10. Yount did it herself the next point, rejecting an effort to put Jacksonville on match point. Two UWF points closed the gap, but Tuyo's final kill ended the night with JU joy.
Match Notes
- The Dolphins have played five-straight five-set matches, breaking the previous program record of four in 2015.
- Senior Jade Cuya Cobos finished with 51 assists, her second 50+ assist match this season.
- Jacksonville finished with 14 total blocks, second-most this season.
- The Dolphins hit .285, their second-best mark this season in a five-setter.
Head Coach Alicia Manguiat
On Tuiasosopo
"JT just doesn't play like a freshman. She's carrying such a heavy weight. Tonight she received around 40 balls, dug 12 and after hitting 20 [kills] last night, she hit 19 kills today. What she's been able to do for us and the weight that she's been able to carry for us has allowed us to spread our offense a little bit more."
On team approach
"I really like the numbers tonight. Kat with 11 kills, Haley with 12, we were able to have a more spread offense which I think helped us tremendously. Overall, I think we had a lot more composure in big moments, and I think that's kind of what we're learning.
We play a lot of young players and it takes time to develop. We take things one game at a time, and that's really our focus. This conference is so open, if you can have a good night, you can beat just about anybody. It's fun to compete."
Up Next
The Dolphins return to the road to face the Stetson Hatters next Friday, Oct. 30. First serve is scheduled for 6 PM.
