JU Dolphins down Florida Owls by 3-2 – Volleyball news
The Dolphins of Jackson Ville University came into stride with visiting Owls from Florida Atlantic University on Thursday, March 29.
The teams of JU and FAU played a total of five matches, while hosts came on top with final result of 3-2.
The Dolphin Beach Volleyball Complex provided the backdrop for the competition and hosts took full advantage of the familiar conditions. The first four matches featured a see-saw battle and overall score tied at the end of fourth match.
However, JU demonstrated a spectacular feat in the decisive final match and held off FAU for 3-2 victory.
The Owls opened the tournament on a very good note and pulled off success in the first match. Joanne Marras Tate and Alessia Pizzocheri of Florida Atlantic took on Kendall Courtney and Cari Whitmire of JU in the day opener. The guest duo staged an eye catching
action on the sand and defeated the hosts with two sets to one (2-1).
Following the loss of opening match, freshman Sammie Strausbaugh and sophomore Niathan Cullen of Jackson Ville crossed ways with Darija Sataric and Lauren Jones of FAU. The raged-up JU tandem showed no mercy to the visitors and hit the opponents from all
angles. With a wonderful combination and attack and defence, JU managed to bag an easy win in straight sets, 2-0.
The tournament entered the third match as Grace Vega/Isabelle Arboleda of Florida Atlantic came into contest with Nicole Teplitz/Alyssa Robertson of JU. Both sides tried to take lead in the game and jumped on every little opportunity to score points.
However, the Owls clinched success by sending 2-1 on board. The home team fought bravely but failed to save the match. With another match victory, FAU improved to an overall record of 2-1 in the tournament.
The game of hit ‘n’ run continued in the fourth match and JU came strong on the FAU. In fourth meeting of two in-state rivals, JU pair launched full power on competitors and finished the match in two sets. Senior Kathryn Kane and freshman Chelsea Sanderson
of JU breezed past the team of Sara Stoll and Chandler Hatton.
In the final flight, Dolphins’ Alison Loeppky and Jenna Orner scored 21-11 and 21-18 in two consecutive sets and defeated Thaci Pereira/Cintia Nightingale of Florida Atlantic. On the whole JU captured three out of five matches and settled for 3-2 victory
in the tournament.
The winning head coach of Dolphins, Michelle Collier, praised the wonderful effort of her players. She said, “I was proud of how our team competed today. We put together a lot of the things that we have been working on in practice and it showed on our result.”
In the next run, the Dolphins will return to action on Saturday when they will take on North Florida. The Dolphins are enjoying a top form and hope to continue with their winning way in the upcoming matches.
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