From Jamestown Athletics
JAMESTOWN, ND. (jimmiepride.com) – The sixth-ranked University of Jamestown men’s volleyball team opened its home schedule with a sweep of Ottawa (Kan.) Thursday night at Harold Newman Arena. Set scores were 25-12, 26-24, 28-26.
Jamestown (5-1, 3-0 GPAC) won its fifth straight match. Ottawa falls to 5-5 overall and 2-1 in the conference.
The Jimmies took a 10-4 lead in set one, then following a Brave kill, won four straight points to go ahead 14-5. UJ went on to lead by as many as 13 (23-10), then won the final two points on a Tanner Woods (SO/Huntington Beach, Calif.) kill and an Ottawa service error.
In set two, Jamestown led 11-8, but Ottawa put together a rally and won seven of the next 10 points to take a 15-14 lead. UJ once again built a three-point lead, only to have the Braves come back and tie the set at 20. The two teams traded points unti 24, then kills by Korben Phillips (FR/Western, Australia) and Woods closed out the set and the Jimmies led the match 2-0.
Back-to-back kills by Ashan Jordan in the third set gave the Braves 7-4 lead. After a kill by Samuel Jackman (JR/St. Jean Baptiste, Manitoba), UJ took advantage of five straight Ottawa errors for a 9-7 edge. A 4-0 run midway through the set put Jamestown ahead 18-14, and the Jimmies would push their lead to 22-17. Ottawa staved off a pair of match points at 23-20 and 23-21, then reeled off three consecutive to force a 24-24 deadlock. Cade Berg’s block of Derek Owens (SO/Andover, Minn.) gave the Braves set point, but an attack error brought Jamestown level. Berg gave Ottawa their last lead at 26-25, then Jackman’s kill tied the set once again. Zack Meyer (SR/Wheaton, Ill.) followed with an ace, and Owens put home the winning point on the next play.
Woods and Jackman paced the Jimmies will 11 kills each while Owens and Meyer had five a piece. Austin Jacob (SO/Houston, Texas) passed out 35 assists, and Jackman and Braden Neumann (SR/Costa Mesa, Calif.) both had six digs. Jackman and Phillips both had two blocks.
Berg, Jordan, and Corey Johnson all had six kills for Ottawa. Jamestown outhit the Braves .237 to .039 and had a 43-25 edge in kills.
The Jimmies are back in action Saturday when they host Morningside (Iowa) University at 1 p.m.