Jaguars roll to 20th win, Quarles hits 575 career victories

By Rodrigo Burgos Avila | Editor in chief

The Augusta University volleyball team continued its dominant run in conference play, defeating Middle Georgia in straight sets on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 25, at Christenberry Fieldhouse. The Jaguars controlled the match from start to finish, winning 25–19, 25–20, and 25–17.

With the victory, Augusta remains undefeated in conference play at 9–0 and improves to 19–4 overall on the season. Head coach Sharon Quarles now sits just one win away from her ninth 20-win season at Augusta and one victory shy of reaching 575 career wins.

The Jaguars’ serve proved to be a major weapon, keeping Middle Georgia out of system and allowing Augusta to dictate the pace. As a team, AU totaled seven service aces and committed just four service errors, keeping steady pressure on the Knights throughout the match.

Mia Saavedra led the way offensively with 13 kills on a .579 hitting percentage, while also recording 16 assists and nine digs — just one dig shy of a triple-double. Sofiia Snitsarevych added nine kills on .312 hitting, and Ronya Shackleford chipped in seven kills on .200. Giulia Rodrigues anchored the back row with 17 digs and added 10 assists for a double-double performance.

In the third set, Augusta continued to execute at a high level. Posa opened the frame with an ace, and the Jaguars quickly built an early lead behind steady serves and aggressive swings from the pin. A joint block from Angela and Snitsarevych extended the lead to 21–15 before the Knights committed a pair of errors down the stretch. Snitsarevych sealed the match with a kill to close out the 25–17 win and the three-set sweep.

Head coach Sharon Quarles said that while the team continues to find consistency, she’s proud of how they’re finding ways to win.

“We’re just staying one day at a time,” Quarles said. “We’re still bringing the pieces together, but it’s not there consistently yet. But we’re taking W’s and we keep it moving.”

Setter and right-side hitter Mia Saavedra said she was focused on reading the defense and setting up opportunities for her hitters.

“I was just looking for the block and a way around them to put the ball away,” Saavedra said. “I feel we had our lines open, so as long as we were late to the block, we were able to score.”

Snitsarevych added that communication continues to be a major strength for the Jaguars, especially during long rallies.

“We’re used to communicating because we cannot play without it,” Snitsarevych said. “Especially in the long rallies — sometimes it’s hard to see where everyone is going, so we have to keep talking to each other.”

Lauren Nelson (2), decimates a ball to convert on one of her match high 17 kills against Lees-McRae on Saturday Oct. 25. (photo by Rodrigo Burgos Avila/the Bell Ringer)

Shackleford, who stepped into the OH1 role, said her focus was on staying composed and bringing energy to the court.

“Just coming in and staying calm,” Shackleford said. “OH1 is a big role to fill, and Nelly (Lauren Nelson) does such a good job. So I just tried to stay calm, play my game and channel that energy that Nelly has to help the team as much as I can.”

Later in the day, the Jags capped off a perfect day at Christenberry Fieldhouse with a five-set victory over Lees-McRae (14-25, 23-25, 25-14, 25-3, 15-12) on Saturday evening, securing the program’s 20th win of the season and marking head coach Sharon Quarles’ 575th career victory.

After dropping the opening two sets 25–14 and 25–23, the Jaguars stormed back with a dominant third set and an unforgettable fourth, where Giulia Rodrigues ignited an 18-point serving run that completely shifted the match. Rodrigues finished with a career-high seven aces, the highlight of Augusta’s 10 total on the night.

“I was back there, and I was just talking to the team about how we are a momentum team,” Rodrigues said. “When we play up and keep it going, we score and keep going on those rallies. So when I got back there, I was like, I’m gonna back up and just smack the crap out of this ball, but do it to a point where I know that I’m hitting it well. I was just going for the location, giving my all, and trying to help the team out. It was a team effort, but I definitely was trying to prove myself because I know I’m a good server. Now I know she’s always gonna look at me and be like, ‘Giulia, you’re a better server.’”

Lauren Nelson led the Jaguars with 17 kills on .469 hitting, adding three aces and three blocks for a 21.5-point performance. Sofiia Snitsarevych added 11 kills and three blocks, while Mia Saavedra contributed 22 assists, six kills, three aces, and seven digs. Angela Mateos dominated at the net with eight total blocks, and libero Hunter MacFarland anchored the defense with 11 digs.

For Quarles, who reached her 575th career win and ninth 20-win season at Augusta, the focus remains on maintaining high standards.

“It’s more about what you feel from the match that you just came off of, exhausted,” Quarles said. “We should’ve never gone to five sets with this team. But it’s nice to get 20 wins, nice to hit 575, but it’s not about me. It’s more of how we play and the quality of play we produce and put out there for our fans to see. But I do acknowledge those kinds of things are critical milestones. Now how do we prevent those first two sets from happening?”

With the win, Augusta improves to 20–4 overall and remains undefeated in conference play at 10–0 in the Peach Belt Conference.

The Jaguars will be back in action on Oct. 28 against UNC Pembroke at Christenberry Fieldhouse for a Halloween night matchup.

Contact Rodrigo Burgos Avila at rburgosavila@augusta.edu.

At the top of the page: Ronya Shackleford (10) goes up for one of her 7 kills during the match against the Middle Georgia Knights. Above, setter Mia Saavedra (5) connects with Shackleford (10) for one of her match-high 16 assists. (photos by Rodrigo Burgos Avila/the Bell Ringer)

The Jags celebrate the point that won the them the fourth set with a score of 25-3, a kill from Hunter MacFarland (3), a set that completely turned the tides in AU’s favor. (photo by Rodrigo Burgos Avila/the Bell Ringer)