Jaguars bounce back with sweeps over USC Aiken and Shaw

By Rodrigo Burgos Avila | Editor in chief

The Jags bounced back in dominant fashion on Saturday, Oct. 11, sweeping USCA at Christenberry Fieldhouse. They took the sets 25-23, 25-16 and 25-22, improving to 14-3 overall and 5-0 in Peach Belt Conference play.

After a tough loss to Emmanuel earlier in the week, the Jaguars looked sharp from the start. Lauren Nelson led the offense with 14 kills on .320 hitting, while Sofiia Snitsarevych followed with 9 kills on an impressive .533 clip. As a team, AU hit .228 and held there Pacers to just .098.

Nelson said the the key to the team’s success was confidence and energy.

“Just being the aggressor and coming out like we are the better team and proving that was very important, and also just having fun together,” Nelson said.

Coming off the loss to Emmanuel, she added that the Jaguars were determined to respond.

“I think there was some built up anger from the previous game against Emmanuel because we all know that wasn’t us that night and we knew we were going trough bounce back and it needed to happen,” she said.

Libero Giulia Rodrigues, who led the Jags defensively with 10 digs, echoed that the team focused on fixing communication issues after Tuesday’s match.

“We weren’t communicating, we let things roll off on us,” said Rodrigues. “We talked a lot about our seams and making sure that before every serve, we know who is going to take what ball, and this game just showed that we can pass the ball really well.”

AU Coach Sharon Quarles praised Nelson’s performance after the USC Aiken match.

“Nelson played six rotations,” Quarles said. “ I think coming off the bench on Tuesday lit a fire under her. She had a great night even though we didn’t play great.”

The opening set was a battle, as AU trailed for most of the frame. with the score tied at 23, Sydney Harrington delivered a clutch ace before Layne Witherspoon sealed the set with her signature slide kill.

The Jaguars rode that momentum into the second set, opening with a 7-0, and never looking back, leading by as many as eight points. The block was a major factor in this set and all throughout the match. combining solo and assisted efforts, AU tallied 12 blocks.

The third set was the closest. USCA tied things up at 17 after a timeout, but the Jaguars responded with a 4-0 run to go up 23-19. The Pacers made a late push, but the Jaguars closed it out to complete the sweep.

With the win, AU not only stays unbeaten in conference play (5-0) but also gains the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Pacers as postseason positioning starts to take shape.

Later in the day, AU faced non-conference opponent Shaw University and won in straight sets, 25-16,. 25-21 and 25-9.

In the first set, the Jaguars jumped out early, with a five-point run led by sophomore Hunter MacFarland’s serving ace creating separation.

The second set was tighter, featuring a couple of key runs—a five-point stretch to take the lead early and a 4-0 run to make it 18-14. Shaw made a late push to come back, making it as close as 19-19, but the Jags held on to take the set 25-21.

The third set was all AU, with multiple dominating runs including a 7-0 stretch and a later 6-0 run to push the lead to 19-5. Lauren Nelson closed out the set with three straight kills. Sofiia Snitsarevych led the match with 10 kills on .444 hitting, followed by Nelson, Ronya Shakleford, and Layne Witherspoon with seven kills each. Lauren Posa added six kills without an error, hitting .462.

Setter Mia Saavedra, battling through a bad cold, played all six sets across both matches and still led the team with 19 assists against Shaw. Her resilience helped steady the offense throughout the day, while Sydney Harrington contributed 14 assists in the second match. In the back row, Nelson recorded 13 digs while Rodrigues added 13.

Snitsarevych was a consistent force throughout the day, hitting efficiently in both matches. After the matches, she said she was focused on performing at her best to help her team bounce back.

“I was so excited for both matches today and I knew I had to do my best since we wanted to beat our opponents,” she said. “My goal is to keep being effective and do my job.”

Quarles emphasized the team’s adaptability in conference play.

“Every match is different,” Quarles said. “It can be a 6-2, a 5-1, it could be a different OH2, or even a different right side.”

Looking ahead at the upcoming matches against Georgia College, Quarles focused on AU’s internal consistency.

“It’s more of us, not the opponent,” she said. “ We have to work on getting settled. If we can have that type of production from our OH2 this last match [against Shaw], and with Posa on the right side, and with what Nelson’s been putting up on the right side, and the middles be consistent, it’s going to be hard to contain our attackers.”

With the wins, the Jaguars remain unbeaten in PBC play, and look to get a new streak going after losing their eight-game winning streak earlier in the week. They will return to action on Tuesday Oct. 14 as they host Georgia College for Greek night at 7 p.m. in Christenberry Fieldhouse.

Contact Rodrigo Burgos Avila at rburgosavila@augusta.edu.

AU’s Giulia Rodrigues (4) goes up for a serve during the match against the Pacers on Saturday Oct. 11. (photo by Domonic Macias/special to the Bell Ringer)

Layne Witherspoon (20) hits her signature slide during the Jags’ sweep over USCA. At the top of the page, Lauren Nelson (2) soars over the Pacer block for one of her 14 kills during the match. (photos by Dominic Macias/special to the Bell Ringer)