ELLISVILLE – The Jones College volleyball team opened postseason play in dominant fashion Wednesday night, sweeping archrival Gulf Coast in the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament quarterfinals inside A.B. Howard Gymnasium.
The Bobcats controlled the match from start to finish, winning 25-15, 25-7 and 25-17 to improve to 24-7 on the season and advance in the Region 23 Tournament. Jones also improved to 7-0 all-time in Region 23 Tournament play with the victory.
Jones finished with 41 kills on 89 attacks and hit .292 as a team while adding 39 assists, 11 service aces, 45 digs and 11 total blocks between one solo block and 10 block assists.
MATCH RECAP
Jones established control immediately in the opening set, putting down 15 kills with just five attack errors on 28 swings to hit .357. The Bobcats used that early offensive efficiency to pull away for a 25-15 victory.
The second set was Jones' strongest offensive frame of the night. The Bobcats recorded 14 kills against only three errors on 23 attempts, producing a match-best .478 hitting percentage while overwhelming Gulf Coast 25-7.
Gulf Coast made the third set more competitive, but Jones continued to control the match. The Bobcats added 12 kills and closed out the Bulldogs 25-17 to complete the straight-set victory.
Jones also created consistent pressure from the service line throughout the sweep. Claire Wicker (Oxford) accounted for seven of the Bobcats' 11 aces, while Doise (Baton Rouge, La.; Parkview Baptist) added two and Olivia Guth (Poplarville; Lakeshore) and Amaya Wilson (Olive Branch; Northpoint Christian) contributed one apiece.
LEADING THE WAY
Izzi Barnes (Gulfport) was highly efficient in the middle, finishing with 12 kills and just two errors on 19 attacks for a .526 hitting percentage. She also added a solo block and a block assist.
Doise matched Barnes with 12 kills while adding two service aces and three block assists to finish with a match-high 15.5 points.
Myah Favre (Pass Christian; OLA) added 11 kills, six digs and a block assist.
Jailly Vance (New Orleans, La.; Isidore Newman) finished with three kills on four attempts for a .500 hitting percentage and contributed four block assists.
Wilson added three kills, a service ace and two digs.
Wicker directed the offense with 32 assists and turned in a huge night from the service line with seven aces. She also collected 12 digs and added a block assist.
Guth led the back row with 14 digs while contributing five assists and an ace.
UP NEXT
The Bobcats head to Senatobia on Saturday, Oct. 31 for Region 23 Semifinals against top seeded Northwest. First serve is set for 2 p.m. The match will be livestreamed at
nwccrangers.com/watch/
