AUGUSTA, Ga. – Augusta University volleyball split a pair of matches Friday on the opening day of the Augusta/USC Aiken Invitational, rallying from a two-set deficit to defeat Lee 3-2 before falling 3-1 to North Greenville. The Jaguars moved to 2-3 on the season.
Augusta 3, Lee 2
Augusta erased a 2-0 deficit to defeat Lee 17-25, 24-26, 25-21, 25-22, 15-11 in the Jaguars' home opener.
Nikol Antova led Augusta with 17 kills, 11 digs and three service aces for a double-double. Sofiia Snitsarevych added 10 kills on .333 hitting, while Essence Jones and Emma Haren each finished with nine kills. Andrea Rodríguez recorded 40 assists, 11 digs and six aces.
After dropping the first two sets, Augusta hit .310 in the third and .300 in the fourth to force a deciding fifth. The Jaguars held Lee to .040 hitting in the final set to complete the comeback.
Augusta 1, North Greenville 3
Augusta opened the second match with a strong offensive performance, hitting .414 with 17 kills to take the first set 25-20. North Greenville responded to win the next three sets, 25-20, 25-13 and 27-25.
Antova finished with 18 kills and 13 digs for her second double-double of the day. Layne Witherspoon put down 12 kills on .360 hitting, while Snitsarevych added six kills on .333 hitting. Haren recorded nine kills and 13 digs, and Rodríguez handed out 39 assists.
After North Greenville took control in the second and third sets, Augusta battled through a fourth set that featured 11 ties. The Jaguars pushed the frame beyond 25 before North Greenville secured the 27-25 win to close the match.
Up Next
Augusta continues the Augusta/USC Aiken Invitational Saturday with matches against Carson-Newman at 1:30 p.m. and Shorter at 6:30 p.m.
