LAKELAND, Fla. – The Augusta University Jaguars opened their season with a 3-1 victory over the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish on Friday afternoon at the Jenkins Field House in Lakeland, FL..

Jacklyn Simms led Augusta with 13 kills, while Marin Freeland contributed 10 kills, hitting .304. Sophia Kruczko and Jada Suguturaga each added 9 and 7 kills respectively. Both registered a .333 hitting percentage for the match. Defensively, Giulia Rodrigues anchored the defense with 23 digs. Madelyn Eden and Suguturaga recorded 7 blocks apiece.

Augusta fell behind early in the opening set, and Palm Beach Atlantic capitalized on errors to take the set 25-18. The Jaguars responded in the second set, edging out the Sailfish 25-23 to even the match at one set apiece.

The third set saw Augusta post a .414 attack percentage, with Simms and Freeland leading the offensive charge. The Jaguars pulled away to secure the set 25-16. In the fourth set, Augusta maintained their momentum, limiting errors and closing out the match 25-12.

Overall, Augusta hit .223 for the match with 50 kills and 21 errors on 130 total attacks, while Palm Beach Atlantic hit .058 with 36 kills and 28 errors on 137 attacks. Augusta also held a significant edge at the net, recording 26 total blocks compared to Palm Beach Atlantic's 14.

Augusta returns to play on September 7 at the Florida Southern Tournament against Lewis University at 9:00 AM. Live stats and video will be available at augustajags.com.

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