JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The University of West Florida volleyball team (13-4, 5-2 ASUN) fell to Jacksonville (10-12, 4-4 ASUN) 3-2 on Saturday. The Argonauts rallied from a 22-19 deficit to win the fourth set 25-22, but Jacksonville took the deciding set 15-12.
Karyna Werley opened the match with consecutive service aces, and UWF built a 6-2 lead behind kills from Kumara Flanagain, Emily Breazeale and Aniston Cochran. Jacksonville pulled even at 8-8 and later moved ahead 12-9 on kills by Jaylyn Tuiasosopo and Addison Krieger, with an Abbie Tuyo ace in between. UWF answered with kills from Delaney Hanowell, Flanagain and Talya Sampson, then took a 13-12 lead on a block by Flanagain and Hanowell. Sampson's kill and a Jacksonville bad set helped UWF move ahead 22-20. After Jacksonville tied the set at 22-22, Sampson put UWF back in front, Breazeale followed with a kill for set point, and Maddie Mire served an ace to close the set 25-22.
Jacksonville moved in front 3-1 in the second set before Flanagain's kill started a six-point UWF run. Breazeale added a kill, Cochran and Breazeale teamed up for a block, Lizzy Kwiatkowski served an ace and Werley added a kill for a 7-3 lead. Jacksonville scored five straight to take an 8-7 advantage. UWF later moved back in front 10-8 and led 18-16 before Jacksonville scored seven consecutive points to go ahead 23-18. A Jacksonville service error and a Jade Cuya Cobos ball-handling error brought UWF within 23-20. After Krieger's kill gave Jacksonville set point at 24-20, Hanowell's kill and consecutive Werley aces cut the margin to one, but Kathryn Adler closed the set with a kill for a 25-23 Jacksonville win.
Jacksonville took an early 6-1 lead in the third set behind a Haley Yount kill, a UWF error and three kills from Tuiasosopo. UWF answered after trailing 7-3, scoring seven straight points on kills from Sampson, Kwiatkowski and Cochran, a block by Kwiatkowski and Cochran, and a Werley ace to take a 10-7 lead. Jacksonville tied the set at 11-11, and after Kwiatkowski briefly put UWF back in front, the Dolphins scored five straight points to lead 16-12. UWF pulled within 16-14 and later 18-16, but Jacksonville stayed in front and closed the set 25-20.
The fourth set stayed close early, with a Kwiatkowski service ace giving UWF a 7-6 lead before Jacksonville later moved ahead 14-11. Flanagain's kill brought UWF within 18-16, but Jacksonville took the next three points to lead 21-16. UWF answered with a Flanagain kill, a Werley ace and a Breazeale kill to cut the deficit to 21-19. After Tuiasosopo's kill made it 22-19, UWF won the final six rallies. Flanagain, Sampson and Kwiatkowski each had a kill during the run, and three Jacksonville attack errors helped UWF close out the 25-22 win.
In the fifth set, UWF stayed close through the early exchanges. Kills from Flanagain and Breazeale helped keep the Argonauts in it, and Hanowell tied the set at 6-6 before a Jacksonville attack error gave UWF a 7-6 lead. Jacksonville moved back in front on a Sampson attack error and a Tuiasosopo kill, but Hanowell answered off a Werley assist to tie it at 8-8. Kills from Adler and Yount gave Jacksonville a 10-8 lead. Flanagain made it 12-10, but consecutive blocks involving Yount pushed Jacksonville ahead 14-10. Breazeale had back-to-back kills to cut the margin to 14-12 before Tuyo closed the match with a kill.
Flanagain led the Argos with 18 kills and 19.5 points while hitting .314. Werley recorded 24 assists, seven service aces and nine digs. Kwiatkowski finished with 27 assists, 13 digs, six kills and two aces, while Cochran had six kills and a team-high five total blocks.
UWF will remain on the road next week as they visit Lipscomb on Friday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m. at Allen Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Live stats will be available on GoArgos.com. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
For more information on the UWF volleyball program, visit GoArgos.com and follow the team on social media at @uwfvolleyball (Instagram) and @UWFVolleyball (X).
