AUGUSTA, Ga. – Ranked number four in the Peach Belt Conference, the GRU Augusta Jaguars (18-7, 8-5) defeated the number five Lander Bearcats (17-5, 5-5) Friday night at Christenberry Fieldhouse, ending their three game losing streak, (25-17, 20-25, 25-20, 15-25, and 15-12).
GRU Augusta freshman Paige Elliott was on serve as the Jags rallied for nine points in a row in set one and cruised to a 25-17 win. Set two was a tighter affair as Lander raised their game with a .257 attack percentage and just two errors winning 25-20.
Set three was a back and forth match, one that included five lead changes and 10 ties, but in the end, the Jaguars pulled out a win 25-20 and took a 2-1 lead heading into set four. Although set four was close early, Lander pulled away late and won 25-15, forcing a must-win set five. The fifth and final was once again a nail-biter, but the Jaguars finished strong thanks to a .308 attack percentage to knock off the Bearcats for the second time this year - the last on Tuesday, Oct. 7 where GRU won 3-2 as well.
Freshman Kali Boatwright led the team with 18 kills and half a block. Senior Kristen Koch had 15 kills of her own with one service ace and half a block, while fellow senior Maggie Darling had 14 kills of her own with two blocks. Junior Katie Beresford also had a nice night posting 10 kills and two blocks.
Sydney Tracy led the Lander Bearcats with 24 kills and three blocks while Kendell Korte had 18 kills and an assisted block. Reyonia Whipple led the Bearcats with three and a half blocks.
The GRU Augusta Jaguars host the GRU Augusta Tri-Match tomorrow, Saturday Oct. 25 at Christenberry Fieldhouse. GRU hosts USC Aiken at 1:00 p.m., then USC Aiken faces Claflin at 3:00 p.m., and the Jaguars conclude the event when they meet Claflin at 5:00 p.m.
