ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Augusta Volleyball battled Lander through five tightly contested sets Thursday night before falling 3-2 in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament at Flagler Gym, bringing the Jaguars' season to a close.
The match featured 25 ties and 18 lead changes before the Bearcats prevailed 26-24, 21-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-12. Augusta finished the season 11-19 overall and 7-8 in conference play.
The back-and-forth tone was established immediately, with seven ties and six lead changes in the opening set. Augusta fought its way to a 24-22 advantage, but Lander scored four straight points to claim the frame 26-24.
The Jaguars responded with their best offensive set of the match. Augusta put down 17 kills with only three errors, hitting .298 on the way to a 25-21 win in the second.
Neither team could create much separation in the third. The set included 11 ties and eight lead changes before Augusta closed it out 25-22 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Lander answered with a 25-18 win in the fourth to force a decisive fifth set. The Bearcats built a 12-4 advantage in the final frame, but Augusta did not go quietly. The Jaguars scored eight of the next 10 points to cut the deficit to 14-12 before Lander secured the final point.
Nikol Antova led Augusta with 18 kills and 21 digs. Sofiia Snitsarevych finished with 17 kills on a .457 hitting percentage and added three service aces.
Essence Jones recorded 16 kills, 11 digs and a solo block. Kinley Nicholls directed the offense with 39 assists and collected 13 digs.
Hunter MacFarland and Grayson Jones each finished with 18 digs, while Moni Anjous added nine digs and three aces.
Augusta held a 61-53 advantage in kills, served 11 aces and totaled 106 digs during the five-set battle
