Flagler takes the series over Augusta, sweeping the weekend behind fast-paced offense

By Rodrigo Burgos Avila

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fl. — For the second straight day, Flagler College’s offense proved to be too much for Augusta University, as the Saints took a 3–1 victory on Saturday afternoon to complete the weekend sweep over the Jaguars.

The Saints came out firing in the opening set, overpowering Augusta with their tempo and balance on offense. The Jaguars couldn’t find their rhythm early, hitting just .027 as a team while committing seven attack errors. Meanwhile, Flagler’s offense clicked efficiently, hitting .357 to take the set 25–12.

Augusta responded in the second set, led by Layne Witherspoon, who was nearly unstoppable with seven kills on .636 hitting. Angela Mateos and Mia Saavedra added key swings, and Hunter MacFarland closed the set with an ace as the Jaguars evened the match with a 25–23 win.

However, Flagler regained control in the third, once again pushing the pace offensively. The Saints’ balanced attack featured multiple threats, including Marley Middlebrooks, Katherine Rank, and Gracie Fleming, who kept Augusta’s defense on its heels. The Saints took the third set 25–16 and carried that momentum into the fourth, where they sealed the match with another 25–18 win.

Middlebrooks led Flagler with a match-high 15 kills, while Rank and Fleming followed closely with 12 and 9 kills, respectively. The Saints’ ability to spread the ball across multiple attackers once again proved decisive.

For Augusta, Layne Witherspoon was the standout performer, finishing with 14 kills on an efficient .483 hitting percentage. Sofiia Snitsarevych and Mia Saavedra each added five kills, while Giulia Rodrigues anchored the defense with 13 digs. Saavedra also led the Jaguars in assists with 19, followed by Sydney Harrington with 11.

After the match, Rodrigues said the team knows what needs to improve heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

“We need to work on taking up the space,” Rodrigues said. “We talk about this before matches. Our block is something we discussed after the game that we need to really work on since it is the first line of defense and it helps so much for me and the other defenders to be in the right position when we set up a good block.”

She also reflected on the team’s energy and connection, particularly during the second set.

“We talked about how we need to play with passion and in that second set I was really feeling us leaning on one another,” Rodrigues said. “I think the execution wasn’t the greatest but we had great moments and I hope we realize that we can have great moments for an entire game instead of a couple points every set.”

Despite a stronger showing than Friday’s straight-set loss, Augusta hit just .105 as a team. With the defeat, the Jaguars (21–6, 9–2 PBC) drop their second straight match — their first back-to-back losses of the season — while the Saints (16–11, 9–2 PBC) move into a tie for first in the Peach Belt standings.

The result also gives Flagler the head-to-head tiebreaker, an advantage that could prove crucial in determining which team hosts the Peach Belt Conference Tournament later this month.

Augusta will look to bounce back when it returns home to face Lander University on Friday, Nov. 7, for Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night at Christenberry Fieldhouse — another key matchup in the race for tournament hosting rights

Contact Rodrig Burgos Avila at rburgosavila@augusta.edu.

Note, at the top of the page, Layne Witherspoon goes up for a kill attempt. (Bell Ringer file photo).