CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It was a roller coaster of a day for head coach Hannah Long and her squad, as they battled hard with Jacksonville and managed to hold off a comeback attempt and come out victorious with a five-set victory (25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 23-25, 15-9). The thrilling victory marks the program's first against ASUN competition.

Victoria Wood got off to a hot start early, earning kills on three of Queens' first four points. With Alleigh Johnson adding back-to-back kills of her own to gain an early 6-3 lead. Shortly after, Kayla McDuffie took advantage of a free ball by putting it away with force, giving the Royals a 10-4 lead and forcing Jacksonville to call its first timeout. 
 
Jacksonville fought back, bringing the score within two, but the Royals were determined to claim the set. Alleigh Johnson kept her hot streak going late, as she added another pair of kills and a well-placed ace to give Queens set point. The Dolphins put together a late run to make it 24-23, but followed that up with an error to give Queens its first set victory as a member of the ASUN. 
 
Anna Law and Jordyn Johnson contributed to an early Queens lead in the second set, as they partnered with A. Johnson to grab an early 6-3 lead yet again. The Dolphins would respond well and take back the lead, 12-10, but as they have all season, the Royals continued to fight. They cut the deficit to one on Alleigh Johnson's 11^th kill of the match. With that kill, she eclipsed the 400 mark in just her second season as a Royal. They rode numerous opponent errors to knot the set at 17 and eventually claim a 19-17 lead. 
 
With the set squared up at 21, the Royals went on a late three-point run to find themselves at set point once again, claiming the set thanks to a commanding kill by Anna Law to go up, 2-0 in set score. 
 
Kayla McDuffie, who usually does her dirty work up at the net, got going behind the service line in the third set with back-to-back aces to help Queens work out of an early deficit. Vicki Wood continued to produce at a high level into the third set, as her 13^th kill of the match gave the Royals a 14-12 lead, and produced her new game-high on the season. A kill and an ace by Johnson, along with a kill by Anna Law pushed the lead to 18-14 and forced Jacksonville to call a timeout. The Dolphins came out of the timeout with a vengeance, as they'd take nine of the next 11 points and use that momentum to take the set, 25-21. 

Another hot start to the fourth set for A. Johnson propelled Queens to an early 9-6 lead. The lead later grew to five as Kendall Buish finessed an ace on the Dolphins. Queens held that lead late into the set before another late push by Jacksonville had the Royals on their heels. Jacksonville put together a strong run late and would go on to take the fourth set, 25-23, and force a fifth and deciding set. 

After trailing by two early, Queens turned on the jets. Alleigh Johnson's 24th kill of the match knotted the score at three, before an ace by Kayla McDuffie put Queens ahead. Johnson, Wood, and Law would contribute kills to help keep the lead, the latter of which helped the Royals reach eight points first before the switching of sides. Queens played its best volleyball when it mattered, as they rattled off six consecutive points, including a pair by Jordyn Johnson, giving the young squad match point. 

Jacksonville would attempt a comeback with two points of its own, but Jordyn Johnson would put a ball away from the outside that would seal the victory for Queens.

Coach's Words  
"Extremely proud that we got. Contributions from our entire team. Solid serves, solid blocking at the net, and once again were able to get offense from multiple positions. We've been battling really hard and haven't been able to enjoy a win yet in conference and so its great get the first ASUN win of the year."

By The Numbers

• Alleigh Johnson reached a new career-high in kills with 25, a match-high as well. She paired that with an impressive 20 digs and two aces.
• Victoria Wood also eclipsed a career-high in the kill category with 17. She did so while hitting an extremely effective .429 clip. 
• Jordyn Johnson added another double-double to her resume with 13 kills, including the match-clincher, and 15 digs. 
• Kendall Buish nearly double her previous career-high in assists with 59. She earned a double-double as well with 13 digs

The Royals will enjoy a few days off from game action before hitting the road for a trip to the sunshine state with a pair of ASUN matchups against Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson.