MIAMI --- Jacksonville freshman
Ana Nastase spent all of Friday stuffing the stat sheet. In the last game of the day, she added a little history to help Jacksonville win 3-1 (20-25, 25-14, 25-19, 25-15) over the Central Michigan Chippewas.
Nastase posted seven service aces, tying Kristy Smith in 2002 and Darlene Greenaway in 1993 for the most by a JU player in a four-set match. In addition to her domination at the service line, Nastase recorded 26 assists (a new career high), eight kills and eight digs to lead the Dolphins to the win.
Set One
The Chippewas jumped out to a strong start in the first set, eventually taking the first game.
Abbie Tuyo continued her electric play from the early match Friday, tallying six kills in the opening set. However, after the score was tied 15-15, Central Michigan outscored JU 10-5 down the stretch to win the set.
Set Two
The Dolphins roared to life after dropping the opener. Nastase fired a kill from the right side, then JU went on a six-point run on her serve to blow the game away. She had two aces of her own in the run to help Jacksonville seize control of the set.
A balanced offense saw six different 'Phins notch a kill the rest of the second set.
Jaylyn Tuiasosopo put JU on set point. Setter
Emersen Strain notched the winning point in the most unorthodox way possible, blocking a ball with her face only for it to land as a kill the other way.
Set Three
Tuiasospo started hot in the third, scoring kills on four of JU's first 10 points. The third started to resemble the opening set, though, with the Dolphins struggling to pull away early. After Central Michigan tied the set at 18, Jacksonville found a new gear in crunch time.
JU closed the set on a 7-1 run to win the set. Tuiasosopo notched three aces along the way before
Kathryn Adler closed the door with a kill.
Set Four
After rallying to win back-to-back sets, the Dolphins would take care of business in the fourth. Tuyo knocked back her 15th kill of the day to give JU an early 6-2 lead and set the stage for a decisive final set.
Nastase's serve helped the Dolphins to a 9-0 run soon after, with the freshman tallying four aces and an assist during the run. Even as the Chippewas began to slowly chip away, the damage had been done and JU closed it out, 25-15.
Match Notes
- Through two matches, Nastase totaled 50 assists, 22 digs, 13 kills, nine aces and three blocks.
- Entering Friday, Tuyo's career high for kills was 17. In back-to-back matches she eclipsed that mark with 20 against Alabama A&M and 18 against CMU.
- Jacksonville finished with 12 service aces, their fourth match this season with at least 12. Prior to this season, JU had four matches with at least 12 aces dating back to 2022.
- Tuiasosopo finished with 12 kills. She has 10+ kills in four of her last five matches.
Head Coach Alicia Manguiat
"Today was a good day to be a Dolphin! This team has so much depth, we truly have 16 great volleyball players that are able to step on the floor and make an impact. Today,
Ana Nastase and
Abbie Tuyo made a big impact. It's fun to see this group play with joy and grow a little bit more every single match we play."
Up Next
The Dolphins will close their run in South Florida against the hosting FIU Panthers Saturday. First serve is slated for 2:00 PM.
