Jacksonville University battled a tough three sets against Eastern Kentucky Saturday afternoon.
SET ONE
The two programs swapped points early in set one. Eastern Kentucky took the lead by three 8-5. EKU took advantage of the Dolphins errors extending the lead 12-7. A kill from Jenna McNamara put Jacksonville within three points 13-10. A 5-0 run for EKU forced Jacksonville to take a timeout 18-10.The colonels kept momentum throughout the entire set. Eastern Kentucky finished the set 25-16.
SET TWO
It was a back-and-forth affair in McBrayer Arena. A service ace from Jenna McNamara tied the set 9-9. The Colonels regained momentum gaining a three-point lead 12-9. A kill from Haley Hart tied the set again 12-12. Two service aces from Gyrani Rogers gave the Dolphins energy to put Jacksonville up 16-13. The Colonels fought back to get within one of the Dolphins. A block from Lyric Love tied the set for the third time 21-21. The Colonels showed grit and finished set two 25-22.
SET THREE
The Colonels led early in the third set 7-1. The Dolphins had a hard time finding a rhythm to get them going. Eastern Kentucky with a stellar third set kept the momentum going. Jacksonville late in the set started to find momentum. Back-to-back points from McNamara and Rocassin tied the set 23-23. But the Colonels regrouped and clinched the third set 25-23.
Haley Hart, Lyric Love, and Jenna McNamara all recorded nine kills apiece. Rebecca Rocassin with two service aces and 34 assists. Kariana Ayala-Drew collected 26 digs.
Jacksonville returns home Friday against North Florida at 7pm.
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