Augusta defeats Middle Georgia in four sets, closing in on milestone weekend for Coach Quarles

By Rodrigo Burgos Avila | Editor in chief

MACON—Behind a balanced offensive attack and strong serving, Augusta University picked up a four-set Peach Belt Conference victory over Middle Georgia State University on Thursday night, Oct. 23, at the Volleyball Gym.

The Jaguars (8-0 in the PBC, 18-4 overall) won by set scores of 25–15, 25–23, 19–25, and 25–17, bouncing back after dropping the third set to take control and close out the match in dominant fashion.

Junior Layne Witherspoon opened the night on a tear, notching two early kills as Augusta quickly built a 7–3 lead in the first set. Sofiia Snitsarevych added a pair of kills and Sydney Harrington delivered an ace to help the Jaguars surge ahead 13–10 before eventually cruising to a 25–15 win.

The second set was much tighter. Middle Georgia found success tooling the block and defending the corners, forcing Augusta to rally from a late 21–18 deficit. A kill from Angela Mateos and a block from Lauren Nelson sparked a five-point run that saw the Jaguars flip the set and take it 25–23.

Middle Georgia responded in the third, feeding off the home crowd and strong blocking to hand Augusta just its seventh set loss in conference play this season. The Knights (0-8, 5-13) capitalized on several Augusta hitting errors to win 25–19.

But the Jaguars came out firing in the fourth. Witherspoon and Mateos combined for four quick kills as Augusta jumped out to a 7–1 lead, forcing an early timeout by the Knights. The Jaguars never looked back, dominating the set 25–17 to secure their 18th win of the year.

Snitsarevych lef the team with 15 kills on .297 hitting while Witherspoon added 14 on .379. Mateos, a native of Seville, Spain, chipped in 10 kills on a highly impressive .529 hitting perecentage. Setter Mia Saavedra dished out 29 assists, orchestrating the Jaguar offense, while also adding 10 kills and 17 digs, accomplishing the rare triple-double, her second in the last week. Saavedra rounded out the four Jags that hit in double figures.

AU coach Sharon Quarles is now just two wins away from her ninth 20-win season and 575th career victory as a head coach—milestones she could reach this weekend at home.

Augusta returns to Christenberry Fieldhouse on Saturday, Oct. 25, for a doubleheader, facing Middle Georgia State again at 1 p.m. before hosting Lees-McRae College at 5 p.m.

Contact Rodrigo Burgos Avila at rburgosavila@augusta.edu

Note: At the top of the page, Ronya Shackleford (left) and Sofiia Snitsarevych (right) go up for a block during the match against Middle Georgia. (photo by Rodrigo Burgos Avila/the Bell Ringer)

Mia Saavedra (5) and Layne Witherspoon (20) go up to block Yanelis Rodriguez (13) during the match against the Knights on Oct. 23. (photo by Rodrigo Burgos Avila/the Bell Ringer)