ELLISVILLE – The No. 23 Jones College volleyball team bounced back from a straight-set loss to Northwest Mississippi with a five-set victory over Southwest Wednesday night inside A.B. Howard Gymnasium.
The Bobcats earned the win by scores of 25-18, 23-25, 25-18, 25-27 and 15-10, improving to 12-5 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
Jones opened the match with its most efficient offensive set of the night, hitting .481 with 14 kills and just one attack error. Southwest answered in the second as the Bobcats slipped to .179 offensively, evening the match at one set apiece.
Jones regained control in the third behind a .286 hitting percentage and a 25-18 win, but Southwest extended the match with a 27-25 victory in the fourth.
With the match tied 2-2, the Bobcats answered in the deciding frame. Jones recorded 12 kills and hit .321 in the fifth set, pulling away for a 15-10 victory to secure the match.
Head coach John Dussouy said the five-set battle provided an opportunity for several players to gain valuable experience.
"It's always good to have players find a way to step up," Dussouy said. "As we get closer and closer to the tournament, you need these players to get more reps so that when you look down at the end of the bench, you have enough confidence to say, 'You are ready to go. Let's go.'"
Jones finished with 67 kills while hitting .294 for the match, along with 64 assists, 12 service aces and 68 digs.
LEADING THE WAY
Selah Sandridge (Madison; MRA) led the Bobcat attack with a career high 18 kills while hitting .308. She also added six digs and two service aces.
Izzi Barnes (Gulfport) finished with 16 kills and hit .433, committing just three attack errors on 30 swings. She also added a solo block.
Jensi Doise (Baton Rouge, La.; Parkview Baptist) provided nine kills in three sets while hitting .318.
Amaya Wilson (Olive Branch; Northpoint Christian) added eight kills while hitting .412 and contributed two service aces, one solo block and two block assists.
Myah Favre (Pass Christian; OLA) finished with seven kills and 14 digs, while Olivia Guth (Poplarville; Lakeshore) led Jones defensively with 17 digs and added two service aces.
Claire Wicker (Oxford) paced the offense with 40 assists, nine digs and four service aces.
Keira Hariel (Madison; MRA) added 21 assists, six digs and two aces.
UP NEXT
The Bobcats return home Monday, Sept. 28 against Coahoma. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
Tickets are on sale at jcbobcat.com/tickets for $8. The price increases to $10cash/$11 card at the door. All volleyball home matches are livestreamed at jcbobcats.com/watch.
