CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Queens volleyball fought through a tight four-set match in its ASUN opener on Friday night inside Curry Arena, but Jacksonville escaped with a 3–1 win (25–18, 25–21, 17–25, 25–23).
Jacksonville controlled the opening set after breaking a 5–5 tie with a 9–2 run fueled by Breanna McDonough and Madison Novak. Queens tried to rally behind kills from Lauren Stiles and Elizabeth Layson, but the Dolphins' block and service pressure proved decisive in a 25–18 result.
The second frame featured seven ties and two lead changes, with Queens pulling ahead early behind Emma Norris, who delivered a kill and a service ace in the opening points. Stiles and Ellis Sargent combined on a block to extend the Royals' edge, but Jacksonville responded with a surge midway through, highlighted by a Novak ace and consecutive McDonough kills. Queens closed to within 22–20 after swings from Callie DeSchryver and Anna Grace Sparks, yet a late push from Haley Yount gave the Dolphins the 25–21 set win.
Queens stormed back in the third, hitting .364 as a team while holding Jacksonville to .111. Norris and Sparks got the Royals rolling, and setter Megan Kelly dished out 10 assists in the frame to spread the offense. Sparks added a timely ace, and DeSchryver's late kills stretched the margin to six. Jacksonville committed seven attack errors in the set, and the Royals capitalized, pulling away 25–17 to cut the deficit in half.
The fourth was the most competitive of the night, producing 11 ties and five lead changes. Layson and DeSchryver traded blows with McDonough and Rebekah Williams in the early rallies, while Peluso and Sparks kept Queens level midway through the set. A service ace from Tilley Collins and a Layson kill lifted the Royals to a 20–19 advantage, but Jacksonville answered with back-to-back points from Novak and Claire Mrukowski. Queens stayed alive on a DeSchryver kill to fight off one match point, but McDonough delivered her 13th kill to clinch it 25–23 for the Dolphins.
Layson paced Queens with 12 kills on an efficient .429 hitting percentage while adding two digs. DeSchryver followed with 11 kills and five digs, and Norris finished with eight kills, a service ace, and four digs. Sparks provided a lift off the bench with six kills on .400 hitting and one ace, while Stiles and Sargent added six and five kills respectively, each chipping in three block assists. Kelly and Tyler Peluso split setting duties, recording 21 assists apiece, with Kelly adding two aces and eight digs and Peluso contributing 10 digs and three kills. Collins anchored the defense with 12 digs and one ace.
"It was a hard-fought match. I thought the difference was that we didn't start set one well enough, but once we figured it out, we improved each set and played our best volleyball in the third," Head Coach Matt Stolz said. "Ultimately, this match came down to key moments, and Jacksonville capitalized on those. It's a great learning opportunity for our team. Jacksonville is a strong program, and we're striving to compete with teams like that. Now, we're looking forward to the battle with North Florida."
UP NEXT
Next, The Royals continue ASUN play at home on Sunday afternoon inside Curry Arena against North Florida for a 1 PM start.
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