Clay County Times

Jacksonville University Athletics issued the following announcement on Sept. 25.

Jacksonville University volleyball improved throughout the match on Saturday, but ultimately fell to Lipscomb three sets to one at Allen Arena.

The Dolphins (3-11, 0-2) battled back after dropping the first two sets to force a fourth, and went back and forth in the final set before succumbing 25-21.

SET ONE

A close set early turned when Lipscomb went on a 5-0 run to take a 12-6 lead. Autumn DeSantis followed with a kill, but the lead grew again, when the Bisons went on another run, leading 22-10. Kyndaal Stansberry got two kills and Niccola Bozzini delivered an ace as part of a late push by the Dolphins, but Lipscomb prevailed 25-15 to take the first set.

SET TWO

Lipscomb got off to a strong start in the second set, leading 6-1 early. JU responded with a 4-0 run, featuring two kills from Isa Dostal and one by Camryn Honn to cut the lead to one. A 4-0 run by the Bisons shortly after took them into double digits in points, and JU periodically scored to stay within striking distance.

After trailing by as many as six in the set, JU mounted a methodical pushusing kills by Brianna Jackson and Dostal to climb back in it. Lipscomb kept the Dolphins at bay long enough to claim the set victory, 25-18.

SET THREE

The best start to a set of the night occurred in the third for the Dolphins, who rattled off the first six points on kills from Jenna McNamara and Zoë LaBreche, and a block by LaBreche and Dostal. Bozzini recorded another ace and Dostal and DeSantis combined for a block to force Lipscomb to call a timeout down 10-4.

After Lipscomb cut the lead to four, 12-8, and JU used a timeout, things tightened up for the remainder of the set. It tied up for the first time at 14, and while the Bisons tied it up three more times, they never managed to take the lead. After it was 17-all, Honn recorded a kill, Dostal assisted on consecutive blocks and JU went on a 4-0 run.

The Bisons cut it to two, 23-21, but a service error and then a kill by LaBreche closed out the set, 25-21.

SET FOUR

JU trailed early, but quickly rallied to take the lead, 4-3, on another LaBreche kill. Lipscomb used a 4-0 run to take a 7-4 lead. JU got a kill by Honn to cut it to 10-8, then took a 12-11 lead when she capped off a 4-0 run with an ace. The two teams traded the lead until a Lipscomb service error tied it at 20. From there, the Bisons scored five of the final six points to capture the set and win the match.

Dostal led the team in kills for the second straight night, registering 10. LaBreche had seven and DeSantis chipped in six. Honn had a team-high 28 assists and added 12 digs, while Kariana Ayala had 17 of her own. Dostal was also a force at the net, registering six blocks.

JU wraps up the opening weekend of ASUN Conference play with a 4 p.m. match vs. Bellarmine tomorrow.

Original source can be found here.