A familiar face, an unfamiliar start
By Rodrigo Burgos Avila | Sports editor
In sports, there is a phrase that is often repeated: the mirror has two faces.
This is exceptionally true when it comes to the Augusta University volleyball team. The Jaguars are off to their worst start since 2010, according to university records, matching that season’s 2-8 record through 10 matches. The team, under the direction of coach Sharon Quarles, has struggled to find the success that has defined this program in recent seasons.
Tonight (Sept. 17), the Jaguars host Middle Georgia State University at 6 o’clock in Christenberry Fieldhouse in their Peach Belt Conference opener.
This program has been at the top of the Peach Belt for as long as many can remember. Since 2010, Augusta has won five PBC Tournament Championships and three PBC regular-season championships, including a share of the regular-season title last year.
Even though the program has seen a hefty amount of success, it was not until recent years that the Jaguars became a force to be reckoned with in the PBC. Augusta captured its first-ever conference tournament title in 2018 by defeating Georgia College and then defended it in 2019 to win its second consecutive title.
Those two championships were only the beginning of the Jags’ dominance in the conference as they went on to win four consecutive PBC tournaments from 2018 through 2021. Indeed, the 2021 team posted a 25-9 record and made it to the Elite Eight. The streak came to an end in 2022 when USC Aiken defeated Augusta 3-1 in the PBC semifinals.
AU rose back to the top of the conference in 2023 when it won the conference tournament title with a dramatic five-set victory over Lander. That championship capped off a run of five PBC tournament titles in six years. In 2023, led by all-American Jazmyn Wheeler, the Jaguars advanced to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional final before losing to Anderson. That AU team went 29-5.
As for the regular-season crowns, the Jags held the best record in the PBC in 2022 and 2023, winning the outright title in 2022 and sharing it with Flagler in 2023. Augusta also shared the regular-season title with Flagler in 2025.
Five-set nail-biters have been a staple of this team early in the season. Through the first 10 contests, four of them have been five-set matches. Augusta has played 42 sets throughout those matches, which raises the question: could the team be running into a fatigue problem?
The team is currently in the midst of a six-match skid and finds itself at 2-8 heading into its conference opener against Middle Georgia State tonight.
Augusta has some catching up to do with the rest of the conference. As of Sept. 15, Flagler sits at 9-2 and has established itself as one of the strongest teams in the PBC. USC Aiken has also found early success.
The Saints look like the team to beat in the conference. A mixture of excellent coaching from Jeff Reynolds, good passing, quick play and the emergence of outside hitter Marley Middlebrooks and setter Jilly Young has helped Flagler put together an impressive start. Middlebrooks currently leads the PBC in kills per set, while Young leads the conference in assists.
Flagler’s biggest win came in a five-set thriller against the University of Alabama in Huntsville, which entered the match undefeated at 8-0. The Saints pulled off the win in the PBC-GSC Crossover with set scores of 23-25, 25-22, 25-22, 27-29 and 15-13. The Chargers had received votes in the most recent AVCA coaches poll, adding more weight to Flagler’s victory.
On the other hand, Aiken has also found early success. The Pacers have played in four five-set matches as well and have totaled 40 sets played, similar to Augusta. However, their record is not quite a mirror reflection of the Jaguars’.
Aiken is also led by an experienced coach in Glenn Cox, and the Pacers have stood out because of their faster pace of play. Pace of play is another factor that has seemingly affected Augusta, not just at the beginning of this year, but also last season.
Last season, the Jags were led by a setter tandem of Mia Saavedra and Sydney Harrington, while libero Giulia Rodrigues anchored the back row. Saavedra and Rodrigues graduated after the 2025 season, while Harrington suffered a season-ending ACL tear and will miss the 2026 season.
That leaves Augusta without three key pieces from last year’s team, including both of its primary setters and its starting libero.
This raises yet another question: Is this an issue of recruiting and filling the gaps within a team?
With the new age of college athletics, dominated by the transfer portal, recruiting has become more important than ever before. Quarles brought in eight new players this season, with five of them being transfers.
This situation is eerily similar to last year, where many newcomers arrived and the biggest challenge was developing chemistry in a limited amount of time. Perhaps two straight years of significant change have taken a toll on team chemistry.
Chemistry takes time to develop. Regardless of how good a player may be, if they cannot connect on and off the court, then that can eventually reflect on the result of every match. Players need time, and college sports nowadays do not always allow enough time for players to get accustomed to one another.
The main problem sits in the back row.
Through 42 sets played, Augusta has recorded 591 digs. While stats may not tell the entire story, they do reflect some of Augusta’s struggles in serve receive and defense. The Jags have also allowed 74 service aces thus far.
Those are 74 points that the Jaguars have allowed directly off the serve.
If the ball does not reach the setter in a favorable position, Augusta is constantly forced to play at a disadvantage by being out of system. That puts additional pressure on the offense and makes it easier for opponents to defend the Jaguars’ attacks.
That leads to another big issue: Blocking.
Augusta has recorded 53 total blocks through its first 42 sets, while opponents have recorded 81. The Jaguars have struggled to consistently establish themselves at the net, which has allowed opponents to find open hitting lanes.
If the passing is not there, every single player is scrambling to recover, getting the Jags out of system, which then leads to poor or awkward rotations. If players are not where they are supposed to be, then the block may not be where it is supposed to be. If the block is not present, then the cover for the block is likely not there either.
Teams are finding ways to attack this Augusta defense, getting the Jaguars out of system and allowing for cleaner and more open swings. That has contributed to opponents hitting .194 against Augusta.
While the team is far away from the worst record ever under Quarles, which was 8-25 in 2013, adjustments need to be made ahead of conference play.
This team does not lack the talent to be successful. Augusta was picked second in the PBC preseason coaches poll and received one first-place vote. Middle blocker Sofiia Snitsarevych and middle hitter Layne Witherspoon were also named to the preseason All-Conference team.
But talent alone will not fix the problems that have appeared during the first 10 matches.
The Jaguars now enter the part of the season that matters most. Conference play begins Thursday against Middle Georgia State, followed by matches against Georgia College and Lander before Augusta travels to face Flagler on Sept. 26.
There is still plenty of time for Augusta to turn things around.
But adjustments need to be made before the frustration builds, before the pressure grows and before a rough start becomes something much harder to overcome.
The mirror has two faces.
Augusta just needs to make sure it likes what it sees in the second one.
Contact Rodrigo Burgos Avila at rburgosavila@augusta.edu.
Sofiia Snitsarevych goes up for the kill for the Jaguars. At the top of the page, Layne Witherspoon is back for her senior season after earning honorable all-American status as a junior. (Bell Ringer file photos)
