ANDERSON, S.C. – The Jaguars recovered from an opening set loss to win a 3-1 non-conference match over Coker College, before falling in three straight sets to Anderson in Anderson, S.C., Saturday afternoon.
A Coker (3-10) service error gave the GRU Augusta (10-4) the first point of the day, but the Cobras took the next five points to steal the early lead. Coker never relinquished the lead to win set one 25-18. GRU responded in the second set and never trailed after the opening point - despite Coker tying the set at six-all. Jaguar freshman Paige Elliott stayed on serve for the next six points, as GRU cruised to a 25-14 win to knot the match two-all.
Set three saw GRU enjoy runs of 5-0 and 7-0, with the Jags leading by as much as 13 at one point and winning 25-14 to take a 2-1 lead in the match. The Jaguars improved their hitting percentage from .032 in set one to .414 in set three. A Jaguar attack error put them in a hole to start the fourth, but another big run (6-0) restored their lead for GRU to cruise to a 25-12 win for the match.
Junior Katie Beresford had 11 kills and assisted on five blocks with one solo block. Senior Kristen Koch chipped in 12 kills, while Paige Elliott had 10 with three services. Jaguar setter Alyssa Latham provided 31 assists against the Cobras and Catherine Desilvester had 14 digs.
Anderson (11-3) shined on their home floor, beating GRU in straight sets with a .214 hitting percentage to the Jags' .146. GRU senior Maggie Darling notched two aces, eight kills, and 13 digs in the loss and freshman Kali Boatwright earned a team-high 13 kills and 14 digs.
GRU Augusta plays another dual match on the road this Wednesday, Oct. 1 at Clark Atlanta in Atlanta, Ga. The Jags play conference foes Montevallo at 4:00 p.m. and face Clark Atlanta for a non-conference match at 6:00 p.m.