Photo and Article via Jamestown Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. (jimmiepride.com)– The top-ranked University of Jamestown women’s volleyball team defeated No. 6 Midland University in four sets Saturday, improving to 25-0 on the year.
The Jimmies lost set one 19-25 but came back with three straight set wins, 25-22, 25-13, 25-23.
UJ finished the night with just three more kills (58-55) than the Warriors, but committed 13 fewer attack errors (24-11). Jamestown hit .333 compared to Midland’s .195.
Jayla Ritter (SR/Forest Lake, Minn.) and Aleah Zieske (FR/Spicer, Minn.) led the way with 11 kills while Anna Holen (SR/LaMoure, N.D.) and Corina Huff (SR/Pequot Lakes, Minn.) both had 10. Ritter hit .455 on 22 swings and Zieske .409 on 22 swings.
UJ led 16-12 and 17-14 in set one before Midland took four straight points to force a Jimmie timeout. An attack error drew the Jimmies level at 18, but the Warriors finished with a flourish, taking seven of the final eight points and a 1-0 match lead.
An 8-4 start by Jamestown in set two caused Midland to call timeout, but the Jimmies kept a four-point lead up until 13-9. After tying the set at 15, Midland saw their momentum fade as Hegerle and Zieske put balls to the floor, and after a service error, Jackie Meiklejohn (SR/Dickey, N.D.) and Taylor Sabinash (SR/Kensal, N.D.) went back-to-back for a 19-16 lead and Warrior timeout. Another Midland attack error made it 20-16, and Jamestown would take a 25-22 win.
The Jimmies opened up the third set with a 14-4 lead and never let the Warriors get on track offensively. One error on 32 total attacks resulted in a team hitting percentage of .469 for UJ, while Midland hit just .098 in the frame. The lead never fell behind seven points, and grew to as many as 13.
Set four was perhaps the closest of the match, with Midland leading 21-19 after kills by Taliyah Flores and Lauryn Samuelson. After the Jimmies called timeout, UJ responded with three straight points and the Warriors needed time to stop the rally. With Jamestown up 22-21, the teams traded the next three points. A Midland service error proved to be the match winner for the Jimmies.
Meiklejohn passed out 28 assists and Megan Gaffaney (SR/Jamestown, N.D.) 24. Anna Holen racked up 22 digs, while Ellie Holen (SO/LaMoure, N.D.) had 18 and Hannah Schiele (SR/Jamestown, N.D.) 10. Huff finished with seven total blocks, Ritter six and Hegerle five.
Jamestown returns to Harold Newman Arena Saturday at 3 p.m. when they host College of Saint Mary (Neb.)