Box Score Box Score (.pdf)
Spartanburg, S.C. – The Jacksonville Dolphins came back from two sets down to pick up a 3-2 victory over USC Upstate Saturday afternoon from the Hodge Center in A-Sun volleyball play.
The Spartans (10-16, 1-9) had four players finish with double-doubles in Lexi Gober, Shannon Weiss, Kayla Eversgerd and Emily Koelling. Gober and Eversgerd both tallied their team-best 14th double-doubles of the season as Gober had a match-high 54 assists and 11 digs, while Eversgerd added 14 kills and led all players with 24 digs. Weiss contributed 11 kills and 13 digs for her ninth double-double of the year, and Koelling recorded her first on 10 kills and a career-high 12 digs. Kayla McAvoy tied her career-high of 17 kills and Rebecca Shearer also had 10 digs.
Sammie Strausbaugh posted a double-double for the Dolphins (13-12, 4-6) as she ended with a match-high 29 kills to go with 18 digs. Jizzian Gesualdo compiled a double-double as well with 46 assists and 14 digs, and Kelly Koop led the team with 23 digs.
Upstate jumped out to a 2-0 lead over Jacksonville as it took the first two sets by identical 25-23 scores.
The Spartans traded the opening 10 points of the first set when a kill by Koelling evened the score at 5-5. The Dolphins responded to take a 12-7 lead courtesy of a 7-2 run as two straight attack errors by Upstate made it a five-point contest. Jacksonville would then push its lead to 19-15 midway through the set, but the Spartans came back with four straight to tie it 19-19 on Weiss' service ace. Upstate would score four of the next five points to lead 23-20, and held off a late Dolphin rally to win the first set.
The second set played out in similar fashion as the first 12 points were split by the two teams before Jacksonville recorded the next two to go in front 8-6. The Spartans used a Rebecca Shickley service error to equal the score 9-9, only to see the Dolphins pick up the next two points. Upstate would take a 15-12 advantage as four consecutive errors by JU highlighted a 6-3 run. Jacksonville fought back to tie the score 15-15, but the Spartans held off by moving their lead to 20-17 with McAvoy's kill. Upstate led by four late but the Dolphins charged back to within one when Strausbaugh and Olga Nushtayeva combined for a block. Gesualdo's service error gave the Spartans the two-point victory, increasing its lead to 2-0 in the match.
Jacksonville raced out to a 12-3 lead in the third set as the Dolphins scored nine points in a row during that stretch. Upstate responded with a 6-1 run of its own to trim the deficit down to 13-9 following a kill by Eversgerd. JU then logged four the next five points to move its lead to 17-10. The Spartans were able to get to within four twice midway through the set before Eversgerd made it 23-20 on her kill. Jacksonville would win the set 25-21 after two kills by Emily Laskelle.
The Dolphins sent the match into a fifth set after winning the fourth, which started with eight of the first nine points, 25-14. After JU opened with an 8-1 lead, Upstate would go on a 6-3 run to cut its deficit to 11-7. The Dolphins broke the set open after that as they scored the next eight to lead 19-7, and would go ahead by as many as 11 when an attack error by McAvoy made it 20-9. JU won the set several plays later after back-to-back attack errors by the Spartans.
Strausbaugh and Laskelle combined for 10 kills in the fifth set as the Dolphins started on a 9-2 run. Jacksonville would increase its lead to nine on Strausbaugh's kill. Upstate got as close as seven twice late, but Laskelle and Strausbaugh sealed the set as JU won 15-7 to take the match 3-2.
The Spartans hit the road for their final four matches beginning next weekend when they travel to Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson.
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