JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jax State volleyball fell 3-2 against the Jacksonville Dolphins in both teams' first game of the 2025 Dolphin Volleyball Classic.
The Gamecocks could not get anything going in a first set that saw them fall 25-12 to the hosting Dolphins. The Gamecocks rallied in the second set in what was a hard-fought 30-28 win to notch the match at one set win apiece.
In the third, Jax State trailed 17-14, but tied it at 20-20 late in the set. After the Gamecocks went up 22-20, they never looked back as they went on to win the set 25-22 and take a 2-1 advantage over Jacksonville.
The Dolphins got up 9-5 early in the fourth set and never kept that momentum rolling throughout. Jacksonville forced a Gamecock timeout as they went up 23-21 late. The Dolphins tied the match 2-2 with a 25-22 fourth-set win.
Jax State was down 11-7 in the fifth, before a quick 2-0 run by the Red-and-White forced a Jacksonville timeout as they cut the Dolphin lead to 11-9. The Dolphins then scored three-straight to go up 14-9 before a kill by
Kayla Williams put the Gamecocks within four before Jacksonville clinched the match win with a 15-10 final in the fifth.
Williams shined for the Gamecocks with 25 kills on a .215 hitting percentage, 12 digs, and a service ace.
Amaya Tolentino joined Williams in double-digit kills with 11.
Izzy Whittaker had a team-high .667 hitting percentage.
Sanni Rantanen made an impact with seven kills on a .222 hitting percentage, five aces, and two total blocks.
Luci Wilkinson had the most digs for the Red-and-White with 18. Wilkinson also added a pair of service aces to her stat line.
Charlee Solomon had the next most digs with 13. Solomon had a team-best 48 assists along with four aces.
Morgan Blazzard was in double-figure digs with 11.
As a team, Jax State combined for 64 digs, 58 kills, 56 assists, 13 aces, and four blocks.
Jax State will move on to face Florida A&M Friday at 2:30 p.m. central (3:30 p.m. eastern). Florida A&M lost 3-0 to West Virginia in their first match of the Dolphin Volleyball Classic.
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