AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Jaguars won their third match in the past five days with a 3-0 Peach Belt Conference victory over Georgia College Tuesday night in the first ever volleyball game played at the Wellness Center on the Georgia Regents University Health Sciences Campus. GRU Augusta celebrated Dig Pink Night to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research.
GRU Augusta (6-15, 1-9 PBC) sophomore Leslye Barnette tied set one at 4-all on a kill up the middle. The Bobcats (4-16, 1-9) responded to take an 11-8 lead on a Caroline Long kill. After GC jumped ahead, they never let go until the 20-point mark. Jags junior Kristen Koch set up junior Paige Tuttle for a net-scraping attack to tie the game at 15-15. Each team nabbed two more points for a 17-all score and eventually a 20-all mark.
GC stole a one-point lead, but Michaela Honigl's layout dig kept the next point alive – resulting in a 22-21 Jaguar lead, their first lead of the night. Jags junior Chandler Mass' service ace put the Jags on set point and a Koch kill from a Barnette assist gave GRU the first set 25-22.
The Bobcats struck first in the second set, but three Koch serves for GRU put the home team back on top 3-1. Up 8-5, GRU scored the next two points out of a Bobcat timeout to further their advantage. GRU kept the lead and a Jenna Keeler kill sealed set two for GRU, where the Jags posted a .407 hitting percentage.
In set three, Barnette posted four block assists in a row, with Keeler and Maggie Darling helping out on the net for an 11-1 lead. GRU only allowed 13 points in set three to win the final set 25-13 and the match 3-0. GRU Augusta hit .295 on the game, while GC hit .116. Koch had a match-high 14 kills for her 14th double-kill night on the season. Mass dealt 34 assists and Catherine DeSilvester had 18 digs.
For the Bobcats, Rachel Reynolds notched 10 kills, Micayla Patterson knocked 28 assists, and Caroline Ham had 12 digs. GRU plays on the road at Montevallo on Friday, Oct. 18 for a PBC contest at 7:00 p.m.